John Hafferty passed away suddenly at home on June 30, 2026.
He grew up in Leicester MA, the youngest son of George and Helen. After completing high school, he volunteered for the United States Marine Corps and saw heavy combat, eventually completing one infantry tour in Vietnam before being injured during his second.
In 1971, John met Jean Marie Morris and the two married. Using the GI Bill, he attended college and went on to earn a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Worcester State. He later taught computer programming at Nichols College for several years before beginning a career as a systems analyst at State Mutual (later known as Allmerica Financial), in Worcester, where he worked for more than 20 years.
For the majority of his adult life he and Jean resided in Rutland, MA, where they raised their daughter Evelyn and son Owen. They took in his aging parents and also opened their home to the children of an ill friend for a period of time, thus also gaining a foster son, Chet.
John loved being outdoors, gardening, hiking, skiing, canoeing, kayaking, biking, and spending time in nature whenever he could. As a runner, in his 30’s, he ran the Boston Marathon twice. He was also a member of the Newington Ski Club, and enjoyed skiing all over the United States.
While in Cub Scouts, his son Owen volunteered John to be a Den Leader. They spent many weekends camping throughout New England. John later became a Scout Leader and then Scout Master of Troop 141.
After the kids were grown, John and Jean took trips to the west coast of the US, Hawaii, Canada, and eventually as far as Australia and New Zealand. When Jean was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2004, John took care of her at home for as long as he could.
His favorite role was as “Old Pa” to his grandsons. For many years, he took them on various outings and even brought them to Wachusett Mountain on weekends to learn to ski. He loved spending time with them on an almost daily basis.
While raising funds for the East Coast Greenway John biked from Maine to the Florida Keys over a 10 year period. He also enjoyed hiking and biking trips abroad, including visits to Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, Greece, and the Czech Republic. With his grandkids and extended family, he traveled to France, Washington State, Canada, Spain, Germany, and Austria.
Even after Jean’s illness progressed to the point that she could no longer live at home, John remained completely devoted to her, visiting her nearly every day. When Jean passed away in 2020 after 49 years of marriage, John relocated along with his daughter and her family to Marion MA. He spent his final years befriending many of his new neighbors, playing cribbage, enjoying meals out with friends, giving generously to various charitable causes, and watching his grandchildren continue to grow.
He will be dearly missed by his daughter Evelyn (her family: Josh, Sam, Eames), his son Owen (his wife Erin), foster son Chester Osborne (his family: Becca, Emma, Ella), his older brother Joe, his younger sister Mary, and his many friends and neighbors from over the years.
A celebration of John’s life will take place at a later date, please check his page on the Hathaway Funerals website.
