James R. Gafner
Died April 8, 2018
CEDAR – James Ray Gafner, 67, of Cedar, passed away Sunday,
April 8, 2018 at MediLodge of Leelanau surrounded by his loving family.
James was born Aug. 31, 1950 in Escanaba, the son of Rudolph
and Elizabeth (Levesque) Gafner.
As a young man James served his country in the U.S. Navy. He became a Corpsman and rose the rank of
Petty Officer First Class and honorably retired after sixteen years of service.
After his service James drove truck with his friend and pet
parrot, Fred. James taught Fred some
colorful language and sayings on those trips.
He was a member of the Olde Virginia Primitive Rifleman organization
(ovpr.org) where he loved 1900’s style camping with no modern devices.
James was a fan of tie-die t-shirts, the Grateful Dead and all
types of music. He was a huge Detroit
Tigers and Red Wings fan. James
treasured cookouts and spending time with his family.
James is survived by his daughter, Kimberly (Glenn) Jackson;
two sisters, Judy Bizeau, Tina (Keith) Jackson; two granddaughters; Kayla
(Ashley) Windnagle, Samantha Nasca; a great grandson, James Wareham; and many
loving nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Rudy
Gafner.
Private family services have been held.
Memorials may be directed to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box
758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516.
Condolences and memories
may be shared with James’ family below or at the funeral home Facebook page:
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