Corinne Ravel Retchin

Corinne Ravel Retchin passed away on Wednesday, February 9, 2022 in Wilmington.

Corinne Ravel Retchin was born on March 8, 1929 in El Paso, Texas to William and Bessie Chernin.

She had one sibling, Maurice Chernin. She attended El Paso High School during which her love of the theater and passion to be part of that world surfaced. She became very involved with the local El Paso Players and she participated in many of their productions. She continued her studies at the University of Southern California where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Speech and English. After graduation she returned to El Paso from which she intended to move to New York to pursue her career in the theater. While in El Paso she attended a wedding where she met William Marvin Ravel. She chose lover over a career and never looked back and they were married on March 23, 1952 and they lived in San Jose, California. They had one child, Michael Scott Ravel. William Ravel passed away in January 1981. She remained in San Jose and went back to school earning a second degree in the travel industry. She developed a productive career compromised of both business and leisure travel. In 1993 Fred Retchin came to San Jose for a relative’s wedding, and having known Corinne casually for years, he invited her to be his date. Both had been widowed and neither ever intended to wed again. After a three year cross country relationship they were married in 1996 and she moved to Wilmington, North Carolina where Fred resided. They were married for 23 years until Fred passed away in 2020.

Ms. Retchin is survived by her loving son Michael, his wife Cherie, two grandchildren, William Joseph Ravel and Samantha Ravel Carrisosa whom she adored and who loved her and a great granddaughter, Lily Carrisosa, whom she cherished.

Ms. Retchin was very active in the Jewish community in San Jose and beyond. After serving a three year term as President of the Central Pacific Coast region of Hadassah, Ms. Retchin was elected to the National Board of Hadassah where she served for thirty years. Always looking to serve her community she served on the Board of Trustees of Temple Emanu-Eli in San Jose as President, Vice President, and Treasurer. She served as the Campaign Chair of the United Jewish Appeal Women’s Division as a member of the Jewish Federation Board of Directors, the Board of Directors for Camp Swig, Union of American Hebrew Congregations and was a charter member of the Family Services Auxiliary and its Board of Directors. Since moving to North Carolina she served on the board of the Southern Seaboard Region of Hadassah, and on the Wilmington Chapter of Hadassah. She was a delegate to the 29th and 30th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem, Israel. She and her late husband, William, are Funders of Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus and she and her late husband, Fred, were welcomed into Hadassah’s Circle Founders.

Corrine Retchin was blessed to have been married to two wonderful men to whom she was a devoted wife and partner. Each of her husbands were taken from her suddenly and much too soon.

To honor Corinne wishes, she will be cremated and her urn placed at Home of Peace Cemetery in San Jose, California.