Obituary
Douglas “Doug” Sherwood Lafferty, 70, of Orlando Florida passed away Wednesday, February 15, 2017.
He was born December 19, 1946 in Elmira, New York to Kenneth and Helen (McClelland) Lafferty. He graduated from Elmira Free Academy in 1965, and began working for Harding Brothers. On May 1, 1976, he married Mary Jane Menter and they lived in Horseheads, New York with his two daughters, Karin and Kristen, from his first marriage. In 1978, they moved to Garland, Texas where he was a defense machinist for Texas Instruments. In 1980, the family moved to Plano, where they would live the remainder of their time in Texas. During his time there, he enjoyed golfing, bowling, and watching both his daughters play sports. Especially close to his heart was the entire “Goal Dust” soccer family with whom he spent countless evenings, weekends, and road trips. He worked for Texas Instruments, who was later bought out by Raytheon, until his retirement in 2007. After retirement, Doug and his wife Mary Jane moved to Orlando, Florida in 2008, to be close to his daughters and granddaughters. During his retirement, he enjoyed many activities and trips with the “Gulf Stream Harbor” community, where he made countless new and invaluable friendships. Doug would bend over backwards for his friends but also give them a “hard time” with his great sense of humor. He also enjoyed cruising, especially memorable trips were his cruises to the Panama Canal and Europe. However, the activity he looked forward to the most was watching his granddaughter, Kierra, play sports. Everyone knew if she had a game, they could find Doug in the stands, supporting her and the entire team. Anyone who knew Doug, knew how much he loved his family and that family came first. He took advantage of every opportunity to attend a sporting event, graduation, or wedding.
He is survived by his best friend and wife, Mary Jane of Orlando, two daughters, Karin Lafferty of Orlando and Kristen Lafferty of Kissimmee; two granddaughters, Alyssa Wilson of Orlando and Kierra Crane of Kissimmee; siblings Shirley Cornwell of Gillett, Pennsylvania and Bruce Lafferty of Buffalo, New York; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his first wife Catherine Forsythe and his mother and father.
A celebration of life memorial will be held Saturday, February 25, 2017, at 1:00 p.m. at the Gulf Stream Harbor Clubhouse at 4505 Old Goldenrod Road, Orlando, Florida 32822. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations in Doug’s name to The Opportunity Center Inc. at 310 N. Clyde Avenue Kissimmee, Florida 34741 or the Flagler College Women’s Basketball program at 74 King Street St. Augustine, Florida 32084.
“A beautiful life”
A beautiful life that came to an end,
He died as he lived, everyone’s friend
In our hearts a memory will always be kept
Of one we loved, and will never forget
May he rest in peace.