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Fred Vigorito posted a condolence
Monday, December 24, 2012
Always a smile, always a kind word. Never missed thanking the band for the "good music" every Sunday at the Millpond Tavern, for 25 years, right after The Saints! It was an honor to play The Saints for Joe one more time at the church.
Fred Vigorito
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iean gaffey jones posted a condolence
Saturday, December 22, 2012
That's great Neil! A great picture of Da and Great-grandson!
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Kirsty Milligan posted a condolence
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Fond memories of a truly wonderful man. I was blessed to have you as my Grandfather and have many happy memories of the times we spent together. You were an inspiration to many and will be sadly missed. Will love you always your Grand daughter Kirsty Milligan (England)
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Jim and Susan McLaughlin posted a condolence
Saturday, December 22, 2012
We are so sorry to hear of your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Sincerely, Jim and Susan McLaughlin
J
John Keogh posted a condolence
Friday, December 21, 2012
I have so many good memories of him--"Mr. Gaffey" to me, respecting the generational divide. We would meet in passing, on the sidewalk or at church, usually with one or both of my parents in company, and he was always warm and welcoming, witty and wise. My father seemed to feel a special kinship with him, perhaps in part because they were both Irishmen who had made a success in their own businesses, or perhaps because of their shared experience in the Army Air Corps in World War II--at any rate, the two of them together were a rare display of verbal agility and a kind of Old World charm.
Mr. Gaffey was not just a friend to me, but a friend of the family, part of our world. In the sure warmth of his greeting I found reassurance in the value of that world, and was reminded that I belonged. I am grateful to have known him, and for the gift of his unfailing smile and acknowledgement. He will be greatly missed.
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Melva Brunning posted a condolence
Friday, December 21, 2012
Da was a truly selfless,kind and loving gentle man with a keen sense of fun so he always had a ready joke to tell us on the telephone. We will always remember the wonderful times spent on holiday in America, it was an honour to have known such a lovely man. Our love, thoughts and prayers are with all the family.
Melva and John Brunning England
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Bill Gaffey posted a condolence
Thursday, December 20, 2012
There wasn't a mean bone in the man's body. He was one of the most optomistic people on the planet. Everything was always great, he liked everbody he met and couldn't wait to get on to his next adventure. His grandchildren were a particular delight to him. Each of their accomplishments were treated as Nobel Prize worthy and he would call me up to make sure that I knew- "Meg was voted top librarian!", "Neil was saleman of the month!"
"Abby was top of her class in dental assistant school". For some reason, one episode sticks out in my mind. Last year, his grandson Brian unexpectedly got 10 days off work and decided to go to Rome taking just what he could fit in his backpack. I told Dad and he couldn't believe it - "He decided to go to Rome and just jumped on a plane, just like that! Isn't that something! What a wonderful world these kids live in!" He called me several times that next week to ask if I had heard from Brian. He would end each conversation by again asking "So he decided to go and just hopped on a plane, just like that, with only a backpack?" A child of the Great Depression, the idea that such a thing was possible and that one of his grandchildren was doing it was a source of wonder to him.
Traveling with Dad and his pal Jim Shortelle on our many ski trips over the years was an experience, for as much as he enjoyed the skiing he enjoyed chatting up every stranger that he wound up next to in the lift line or sitting with on the lift chair and he was a veritable Sphinx compared to Jim Shortelle. After a 15 minute ride with those two, people would stagger off the lift wondering what had hit them. He once told me that it was a habit he picked up in the Army - if you talked to people, you found out things and made friends who could get you into a good assignment or out of a bad one.
He was the world's worst joke teller. For years, every week during ski season he and I and l Jim Shortelle would take an overnight ski trip and stay in my house in Vermont. After skiing, they would break out their little bottles of gin and start telling jokes- the same jokes every week. And I mean the same jokes week in and week out! Halfway through the joke he would start killing himself laughing in anticipation of the punch line, skip crucial details, have to back up and when the big moment came to deliver the punch line came he would get it all wrong. Nevertheless, we would all laugh like hyenas, probably because of the gin we had had and move on to the next tired old joke.
So my dear old Dad, unless joke telling ability is the sole criteria for admission, you are no doubt in Heaven, where your hearing is perfect, your beloved Heidi and Frosty have been restored to you and you know how much you were loved and will be missed.
Bill
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Ruth Gaffey posted a condolence
Thursday, December 20, 2012
My father-in-law was a wise man who knew how to appreciate the simple things in life - books, music, his flowers etc. He truly understood the wisdom of living in the present moment-something he was able to do better than most..
I will always be grateful for the gift of the New Yorker that he gave me each year - and the memories of stories he shared.
And so in memory of Da I want to share a poem by Jane Kenyon that I just read today. I believe Da would have appreciated it:
Let Evening Come
by Jane Kenyon
Let the light of late afternoon
shine through chinks in the barn, moving
up the bales as the sun moves down.
Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.
Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.
Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.
To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung
let evening come.
Let it come, as it will, and don't
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.
Poem by Jane Kenyon
Thoughts on Da by Ruth Gaffey
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David Gaffey posted a condolence
Thursday, December 20, 2012
What I will always remember is Da's endless supply of jokes and stories that never ceased to make us laugh. He would wake up from one of his frequent power-naps in the middle of family gatherings and immediately dive into a hilarious tale that would stop everyone's conversation cold. If he had something to say, everyone knew it would be good. I don't think I ever heard the same story twice. He always had a smile on his face, a positive attitude, and a selfless interest in everyone around him. I am going to miss him.
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Meg Gaffey Grotti posted a condolence
Thursday, December 20, 2012
I will always remember Da for his great love of family, fun, sports, books, and music. He truly was one of the most well-rounded people that I have ever known. He was as great a thinker as he was an athlete, and he remembered an amazing amount of what he learned- he absorbed facts like a sponge- which I'm sure was exactly what helped him conquer the Sunday Times Crosswords each week.
As others have mentioned, our memories are perhaps the best homage to a great man who impacted us all. Here are a few of my favorites:
-I remember Da's gardens. When I was little and would visit his house, I could expect to find the most vibrant red and yellow tulip beds, set against a lawn so green and spotless that I think the hills of Ireland would have been jealous.
-Da always greeted me with a bear hug (he was a great 'hugger' as I often told him) exclaiming "Meg! My favorite granddaughter!" Of course, if you hung around until the next granddaughter walked in, you would see him give her a big hug and exclaim "Look who it is! It's my favorite granddaughter!" Da could easily pull off favorites without favoritism, somehow.
-Often the listener, on the periphery of a boisterous conversation, Da could also be a show-stopper. I recall a particularly grand gesture that left me touched. Da, seated in a place of honor at Aunt Jill's dining room table, spotted me taking up my customary spot at the auxiliary 'kids' table'. Interrupting loud conversation, Da stood up and boomed, "I have a proclamation to make!" Everyone became silent (not something that happens often at a large Gaffey gathering). Da pointed to me and said, "Meg is going to be married in two days. I think it is high time she sat at the grown-up table!" I got a big round of applause, and someone kindly moved so that I could have a seat next to Da.
This holiday, I think we will all miss Da and his warmth, and his gestures- large and small. I know that I will miss these things and many others that made him so special, for a very long time.
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Brian Gaffey posted a condolence
Thursday, December 20, 2012
I will always remember Da as being one of the most easy-going and genuinely content people I have ever met. As long as he had a book to read, a comfortable chair to snooze in, or was within earshot of a stranger willing to engage in a conversation, he appeared to be as happy and carefree as he could possibly be. His remarkably balanced perspective on life is so rare to see in people, yet he seemed to master it with ease. I will miss him.
Love, Brian
J
Jill Gaffey posted a condolence
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Dearest Da,
You were such a good man, such a loving father-in-law, always so appreciative of even the smallest things we did for you, always making a point of asking what we were up to and what our boys were doing. Time and again, when confronting difficult circumstances in your life, you looked on the bright side and persevered. I have learned a lot from your example which I hope will make me a better person as I continue on my life's journey. I will miss our trips to the VA, watching you flirt with all the young nurses, stopping for a piece of pie and coffee afterwards and listening to your most interesting and often humorous stories! I only wish we had found the time to record some of them!
I love thinking about you in heaven now, healed of your infirmities and dancing up a storm to the most beautiful music you have ever heard!
Look forward to seeing you there one day!
Love,
Jill
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Jacqueline Jones posted a condolence
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Da, There are too many things to list but one of the things I am going to miss is you winning our staring contests. I could never beat you! In one way or the other you always brought laughter into the room. I wish Matty could've known you like I got to. I'll miss you and always love you. Love Jackie
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Deborah L Sparkes posted a condolence
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
I have many special memories of Da, what a wonderful man.
This is one of my favorite photos, taken in 2005, of Da and my son Will listening intently to one of Da's gripping stories!
A great storyteller, comedian and Grandfather.
Rest in peace.
Deborah Sparkes (England)
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jean gaffey jones lit a candle
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
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Jean Gaffey Jones lit a candle in memory of Joseph Leo Gaffey
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jean gaffey jones posted a condolence
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Well Dad, what can I say, that hasn't been said already. I will miss our funny times together, such as, Uncle Jimmies Easter potatoes and our gravy making adventures! I miss you and I'm very proud, to have called you my Dad. Love Jeanie
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Jim Shortelle posted a condolence
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Here is a picture of Joe and me, Jim Shortelle, in March of 1986. We were skiing at Aspen Highlands in Aspen, Colorado. The sky was blue, the temperature mild and the slopes perfectly groomed. It was a great day.
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Jim Shortelle posted a condolence
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Here is a picture of Joe and me, Jim Shortelle, in March of 1986. We were skiing at Aspen Highlands in Aspen, Colorado. The sky was blue, the temperature mild and the slopes perfectly groomed. It was a great day.
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Abby Jones posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Da,I am going to miss your jokes, easy-going nature and the fact you never had anything negative to say when I saw you. You were truly selfless. One day in the future we will meet again in heaven. I want to thank you for being such a wonderful person to me, our family and friends. We will all miss you and love you always. Rest in peace. Love Abby <3
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Peter D. Gaffey posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Da was a wonderful grandfather who always seemed to sneak in a subtle zinger into any family gathering that would keep us all laughing. He could always find joy in life and I will always remember him dancing at the Mill pond (even though he swore I wasn't there! Nope sorry Da I caught you burning up the dance floor and will always remember it!) and also his love for the music at the chowder pot. Or the times at family gatherings where someone would crack a joke , everyone would erupt into laughter save for Da and we would have to repeat it practically yelling the same joke to where which Da would reply "OOOHHH HO HA HA!". Your presence is already missed by us all.. We love you Da. I can already imagine you dancing it up up there... Rest in Peace.. Love Pete
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Neil Reising posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
I will never forget all of the memories of Da, especially the ski trips up to Vermont. Looking back it was an honor to have such a great grandfather- he was very knowledgeable, funny, and kind. It was the simple things in life that he enjoyed, whether it be a book, listening to the Galvanized Jazz Band, or just filling us in about someone in the family. We all miss you already. Rest in peace Da.
Love, Neil
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Anita Frances Freezer (nee Gaffey) posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
It is an honour to pay tribute to my father, but where to start? He was an inspiration to all on how you should live your life; kind, gentle, clever, funny, unselfish.Few are blessed with such a long life, and he did not waste a moment of his. Until well into his eighties he went to the gym, skied, read, tended his garden, and liked nothing better than driving miles to hear his favourite jazz band. So its time you had a rest Da. T
he world has lost a wonderful person but you can rest in peace now. But as long as I live, I will always be glad that I was your daughter and you were my dad. Anita (England)
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Jerry and Kathy (Grace) Tullai posted a condolence
Monday, December 17, 2012
We will always remember our Christmas visits (usually Christmas Eve) with the kids to Uncle Joe's and Aunt Jean's. It was always a joyous event and Matt and Liz always got presents they loved. We will cherish the times we spent and regret the moments we missed. May God welcome Uncle Joe and reassure Aunt Jean of His mercy. --Jerry and Kathy Tullai
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James M. Gaffet posted a condolence
Monday, December 17, 2012
I could fill up this whole tribute wall with memories of my dad. One in particular stands out--when Bill and I accompanied him to England in 1992 for the Eightth Air Force 50th reunion and walked the airfields where he had served during the war and where he spent, in his own words, "some of the best years of my life." Add to that all the great times skiing together and the family get-togethers where he was often the life of the party--when he wasn't sound asleep! Rest in peace Dad,,,,,Love, Jim
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James M. Gaffet posted a condolence
Monday, December 17, 2012
I could fill up this whole tribute wall with memories of my dad. One in particular stands out--when Bill and I accompanied him to England in 1992 for the Eightth Air Force 50th reunion and walked the airfields where he had served during the war and where he spent, in his own words, "some of the best years of my life." Add to that all the great times skiing together and the family get-togethers where he was often the life of the party--when he wasn't sound asleep! Rest in peace Dad,,,,,Love, Jim
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Carla Doyon posted a condolence
Monday, December 17, 2012
Jeanie,
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your dad. Want to let you know I'm thinking of you and your family during this sad time and send my sincere condolences. Prayers are also sent to you to help with the healing process.
With deepest sympathy,
Carla (Caswell) Doyon
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Vanessa R Hirst posted a condolence
Sunday, December 16, 2012
A gentle, educated and family man, my Grandfather, the man that I knew for only half my life, but he made such an impression, that I will never forget his passion, love of life and duty to his family.
I shared his love of travel, skiing and experiencing the World, I will surely miss him and hearing his voice. Rest in peace Grandad, your Granddaughter Vanessa, England
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Marjorie Swift lit a candle
Sunday, December 16, 2012
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Marjorie Swift lit a candle in memory of Joseph Leo Gaffey
Service
DEC 21. 11:00 AM
Church of the Resurrection
115 Pond Hill Road
Wallingford, US, 06492
Interment
Sacred Heart Cemetery
250 Gypsy Lane
Meriden, CT, 06450
