John James Rafferty died peacefully on July 13, 2026, after a brief stay at Potomac Falls Health and Rehab Center in Sterling, Virginia at the age of 74. He was there to regain his strength after a recent hospitalization.
John is survived by his wife, Laurie (Powell); son John; sister Ruth Torres of Alexandria; and nephew Matthew Torres of Herndon. He is preceded in death by his parents John and Beatrice (Kolb) Rafferty of Springfield and Williamsburg.
John was born on March 20, 1952, in Washington, DC. He and his family lived at Ft. Belvoir, in Alaska, Germany and France due to his father’s Army assignments. His family settled in Springfield and he was in the first class to attend West Springfield High School and attended the Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) Annandale campus when it was still being built. John was in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1970 to 1974 and part of the Marine Detachment stationed aboard the U.S.S. Forrestal CV59. John married Laurie in 1999. He retired from the United States Postal Service after more than thirty years as a rural letter carrier at the Burke and Vienna Post Offices and then began a second career as a stay-at-home father which he excelled at for twenty years. He and his son frequented the Marine Corps and Army museums on teacher work days and were privileged to greet three honor flights at Reagan Airport with the Longfellow Middle School Chorus.
John founded the West Springfield High School Rifle Club and was a skilled marksman. He studied photography at NOVA and the Smithsonian and operated an aerial photography business that recorded the starts and finishes of the Annapolis-Bermuda and Newport-Bermuda Yacht Races. His photographs were published in sailing magazines and are hung in homes and places of business around the world. John was a member of the Annapolis Sailing Club where he pursued an interest in offshore sailing. He was also a lifelong aviation enthusiast which started when he was in high school with $10 flying lessons. He was a lover of the Alaskan wilderness, a proud Irish-American and a patriot.
Visitation will be held at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151, on Wednesday, August 5, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
A funeral is scheduled for at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church, 7600 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA on Thursday August 6th at 10:30a, Fr. James Waalkes will officiate the service. Interment will follow at National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico. Fr. James Waalkes will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate John’s life.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Canine Companions at https://canine.org or Honor Flights at https://www.honorflight.org. The family would like to thank the rescue squad from the FCFD’s Jefferson Fire House and the staff at Potomac Falls for their care.
