Obituary of Thomas G Rafferty

Thomas G. Rafferty, 91, of Beverly and formerly of Peabody, died Thursday evening at the Essex Park Nursing Home, Beverly, after a long illness. He was the husband of the late Frances T. (Coyne) Rafferty. He was born in Woburn, Ma on February 22, 1916, the son of the late Thomas and Catherine (Manley) Rafferty and later moved to Lynn where he was raised and educated. He entered the US Navy where he served during WW II on the destroyer Pegasus prior to his discharge. Following the war, he started working at the Lisson and Melon Company which later became Leggett and Platt Spring Manufacturing Company in Lawrence for 35 years rising to plant superintendent prior to his retirement in 1981. He had resided in Peabody for 40 years before moving to Beverly in 1991. While in Peabody, he was a member of the Leo Council # 508, Knights of Columbus and the A.O.H. Div. 11 of Peabody. He enjoyed gardening and puttering around his house. Surviving him are a daughter, Donna M. Ellis of Peabody, two sons, Thomas P. and his wife Marianne Rafferty of Greenville, NH and Brian M. and his wife Carrie Rafferty of Boxford. a sister, Claire Hosman and her husband James of Salem, his brothers-in-law, Thomas Dolan, of Peabody and Edward and Mary Klingenberg, of Lynnfield, his six grandchildren, Terry Ellis of Brookline, Kimberly Neuffer of Rye, NH and Christopher Ellis of Wellesley, Kelley Web of Jackson, Wyoming, Rebecca “Becky” Rafferty of New Orleans, LA and Mollie Rafferty of Boxford, MA, 7 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Sophie Swirka, John Rafferty, Catherine Kelley, and the brother-in-law of the late Bernard Coyne, Alice and Ronald McBrien and Helen Dolan. A visitation will be held on Monday from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the Conway Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 20 Church St., Peabody facility. His Funeral will be held on Tuesday at 8:00 AM with a Funeral Mass in St. John’s Church, Peabody at 9:00 AM.. Burial will be in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Peabody. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 37 Cameron St, Cambridge, MA or Hospice of The North Shore, 10 Elm Street, Danvers, MA 01923 in his memory