Nicholas Constantine Raho of Rye Dies at 92

Born on November 25, 1920 in New York City, Nicholas was proud to say he was a native New Yorker. The oldest of 3 sons of immigrant parents, he was his mother’s translator and his father’s business assistant. A schoolteacher spotted Nicholas’ intelligence when he was in eighth grade and encouraged him to take the competitive exam for Townsend Harris Hall. He often said this changed his life. Nicholas went on to graduate from CCNY and started his own business, Legion Chemicals that became White Cross Laboratories, Inc, an international chemical and pharmaceutical trading company.

Nicholas married the late Christina Marie Cutolo in 1949 and the couple settled in Scarsdale for 20 years before moving to Rye. They raised 3 children.

During his lifetime, Nicholas supported many charitable causes, both local and more distant. Among them are the Rye Free Reading Room, to which he donated funds for a technology center; the Rye Nature Center, where he was a founding member of a camp for inner-city children; Church of the Resurrection, Inner-City Scholarship Fund, Missionaries of Charity, the Sacred Heart School in Uganda, where he provided the funds to add a floor to the multi-purpose building; Convent of the Sacred Heart, and Portsmouth Abbey. He was a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher.

Nicholas is survived by his daughter, Mary Julian, of Rye, and his brother, Joseph, of Glen Ridge, NJ. His two sons, Peter and Joseph, pre-deceased him, as did his brother, Liberty. He is also survived by 9 grandchildren.

The family will receive friends at the Graham Funeral Home, 1036 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY 10580 on Tuesday from 3PM to 5 PM and 7PM to 9 PM.  A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Church of the Resurrection on Wednesday at 10 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Inner-City Scholarship Fund, 1011 First Avenue, Suite 1400, New York, NY 10022.