Gary Bruno Garofalo

Gary Bruno Garofalo died at Georgetown Hospital, surrounded by family and close friends, on August 22nd. In recent years, he faced the challenges of Lewy Body Dementia with the courage and the determination that defined his long life.

Gary was born in New Haven, Connecticut on June 13, 1940 to Mario and Evelyn Garofalo, part of an extended family that treasured their Italian roots and gathered every Sunday for legendary feasts. He earned a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York in 1962. In 1965, he received an LL.B from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Gary began his aviation law career in 1965 with the Federal Aviation Administration. In April 1968, he entered private practice and eventually became a founding member of Garofalo Goerlich Hainbach PC (GGH Air Law) a Washington, D.C. based law firm specializing in aviation law.

During his more than five and half decades in the aviation industry, he became a legend in the field of aviation regulatory and commercial transactions law, serving on the FAA committees that shaped fractional ownership and aviation rulemaking. He was a past chairman of the Air and Space Law Section of the Federal Bar Association’s Transportation Committee, a founding member of the National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association, and a former member of the ABA’s Forum on Air and Space Law.

Gary delivered numerous papers at conferences sponsored by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Canadian Business Aircraft Association, European Business Aviation Association, Asian Business Aviation Association, American Bar Association (ABA), Federal Bar Association and Strategic Research Institute. He also published articles on FAA and DOT regulatory issues. He was a licensed private pilot.

Gary married Jeanne McKinney, a Congressional aide on Capitol Hill, on May 16th, 1969, settling in Northwest Washington and vacationing at their home in Nantucket. During their 54-year marriage they also travelled widely, visiting six continents, with Italy a favored destination.

Gary is survived by sons, Robert Garofalo (Jamie) of upstate New York, John Garofalo (Carly) of Los Angeles, and daughter, Anne Garofalo Paterno, ofWashington, DC, as well as grandsons Bruno Paterno, Valentino Garofalo and Rocco Garofalo.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 23rd at Holy Trinity Church, Georgetown, DC. A reception will follow at the McKenna Center adjacent to the church.