Obituary of Gerald W. Lafferty

Gerald W. Lafferty 80, of Melbourne, Florida, passed away Monday, January 14, 2019. He was born in Thompson Valley, Virginia on October 26, 1938 to the late Grant and Ruth (Grimes) Lafferty. Gerald lived in Thompson Valley, Virginia. After graduating from high school in 1956, he served in the US Army from 1956 to 1959. He was stationed in Korea as a heavy equipment operator. After his military service he operated heavy equipment building highways. He married Madeleine Hagerman on December 4, 1965. Gerald started Lafferty’s Poultry Farm in 1966. He operated the farm until he went to work for Farm Bureau Insurance, where he worked as a career agent for 32 years. During that time he had won numerous awards for outstanding sales. He was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Melbourne and was very active with his church and civic organizations. He enjoyed traveling and spending time with his family. Gerald is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Madeleine; sons, Gerald and Patrick and his wife Samantha; daughter, Mary and her husband Shawn and grandchildren Cody, Amanda, Payton, Tyler, and Macy. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1626 Oak Street, Melbourne. A reception will follow the mass in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children Hospital online at www.stjude.org, by mail at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or by phone at 800-805-5856 or to a charity of your choice.