Alvera Rose Raguso-Farrand was born to Francisco and Josephine Raguso on October 22, 1926 in New Castle, PA. She was the eighth of nine children, four boys, five girls. She passed from this life on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at age 90.
Alvera accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior as a child and served Him gladly the rest of her life. She graduated from New Castle High School in 1944 and took a secretarial job at Shenango Pottery. A year later she moved to Green Lane, PA and began attending Eastern Bible Institute, the precursor to Valley Forge University. It was there she met a handsome young Navy vet named Bill Farrand. Following her graduation, she moved to New York and completed one year of nursing school, earning her LPN. She then returned to PA and married Bill on November 24, 1949. The newlyweds moved to Boyne City, MI, where they pioneered and pastored a church successfully for two years. But they had a call to missions on their lives and subsequently joined the World Missions department of the Assemblies of God.
They began their service as foreign missionaries in Kandy, Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, serving from 1952-1957. It was there that their son, William, known as Wink, was born. Following their time there, they returned to the states and headed up the native evangelism program for T. L. Osborn Ministries in Oklahoma, where a second son, Philip, was born. But soon they felt the tug to return to the mission field and boarded a boat to the Philippines in 1963, where they served the next 25 years, mainly in Bible college work.
After returning to the states in 1988, they served as missionaries-in-residence at Southeastern Bible College in Lakeland, FL and began making plans to move to Springfield, MO to retire. But they received a call asking them to help a Bible college in Fiji that was about to close. So, they packed their belongings once more, moved to the jungle-surrounded campus outside Suva, Fiji, and worked hard for three years to rebuild the college. They were finally able to appoint a Fijian president to the college and returned home to enjoy a well-earned retirement. Until they received another phone call – a Bible college in Sri Lanka needed their help. In 1994, they traveled back to where it all started, Sri Lanka, to help upgrade the Bible college there. In summer of 1997, they left Sri Lanka and made one last trip to the Philippines where Bill taught a semester at the seminary in Baugio. Upon returning to the states in December 1997, they finally retired for the last time, their missions work spanning over 40 years.
During their times on furlough stateside, Alvera earned a Bachelor’s degree in Missions from Central Bible College and a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Education from Evangel University. In 1977, she earned a Master’s degree in Theology and Christian Education from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.
Throughout her life, Alvera was a featured speaker, teacher, counselor, and prayer warrior to countless students in the Bible colleges where she served. At Bethel Bible College in Manila, Philippines, she served as Dean of Student Affairs, Business Manager, and Spiritual Life Director. At Immanuel Bible College in Cebu, Philippines, she was the Business Manager. During retirement, Alvera was regularly involved in ministry at Praise Assembly where she and Bill were long-time members. She is well-remembered as a powerful teacher and mentor in the Praise Women’s Ministry. In addition, for many years, she faithfully answered the telephone and prayed with callers at the Assemblies of God Prayer Hotline.
Alvera loved people and loved talking to people about any and everything, but especially about God. She was a prayer warrior and it was not uncommon for her to spend two or three hours throughout the day in prayer. She was a gracious hostess, entertaining hundreds of people in their home through the years. She had a distinctive, vibrant laugh that was heard frequently, no matter where she was. Alvera loved life!
She is survived by her husband William, of Springfield, MO; two sons, Wink and wife Deborah of Fresno, CA, and Phil and wife Lynette of Fair Grove, MO; two grandchildren John Farrand and wife Melissa of Bakersfield, CA, and Elizabeth Beauchamp and husband Alan of Fair Grove, MO; and four great grandchildren Clara and Asher Beauchamp; and Stevie and Jack Farrand. She is also survived by one sister, Bettie Damiani, of Poughkeepsie, New York and numerous nieces and nephews and their families.
Because of Bill’s time serving in the Navy during World War II, Alvera will be interned in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Springfield, MO.
Visitation will be Saturday, July 29, 2017 from 2:00-3:00 PM at Greenlawn Funeral Home North. Funeral services will start at 3:00 PM.

Provide comfort for the family by planting a tree in memory of Alvera Rose Farrand (Raguso), please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.