John Howard Gaffney

John passed away peacefully on November 12, 2013 with family by his side. He was born on November 28, 1939 in Everett, Washington.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Sharon Gaffney. John is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Kelly Gaffney; son and daughter-in-law, Jay and Tricia Gaffney; daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Bob Macaulay; grandchildren, Tyler, Zach, Cayden, Paige and Jim; great grandson, Aiden; and many nieces, nephews and life-long friends. He was also

preceded in death by his sisters, Ann White, Helen Moser and Barbara Ramstead; his parents and his grandparents. John spent most of his career in sales and sales management, holding positions that provided opportunity for travel to, and residence in, Washington, Idaho and Indiana. In 1981, his work brought John and his family back to Everett, Washington, the place they all considered home.

In 1990, John and Sharon moved into a small house on Tulare Beach in Marysville, where they would spend the

rest of their life together and where countless family memories would be born. John and Sharon enjoyed annual holiday gatherings, long beach walks with their grandkids, clam digging, steaming fresh crab during the summer and welcoming neighbors and friends to their front porch overlooking the bay. In his later years John was able to revisit a life-long interest

in vintage cars. During this time, he painstakingly restored a 1964 Chevrolet El Camino and purchased a fully restored vintage Ford pickup. Both vehicles became a source of great pride for John. He enjoyed showing them off and could be found at car shows throughout the Puget Sound area sharing his passion with other vintage car enthusiasts. John will be remembered by those who loved him as a warm, charismatic friend who could be ‘tough as nails’ when you needed him to be, but who would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him for it.

A memorial service will be held at Evergreen Funeral Home and Cemetery, 4504 Broadway, Everett on Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. with a Celebration of Life to follow at the home of Tom and Dianne Easley. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to Compass Health, 4526 Federal Avenue , MS#49, Everett, WA 98203, or Providence Hospice and Home Care, 2731 Wetmore, Suite 500, Everett , Washington. 98201.