David Noone Laffey, 70, passed away on January 1, 2019, of a heart attack. He was born on January 30, 1948, in Ocala, Florida, to James and Jannette Laffey.
David is survived by his loving wife, Cheryl of 46 years. He has two children, Patrick (Hyesung) and Laura (Ryan), of which he was very, very proud. Patrick is a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy currently serving as a Foreign Area Officer in the US Embassy in Singapore. Laura is a Speech Language Pathologist in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has three granddaughters, Grace (11), Catherine (9) and Sydney (2 months). David has two older brothers, Mike and Matt, and an older sister, Donna. David took great pride in being considered the “baby” of the family.
David is an Ocala native and attended Blessed Trinity Catholic School through 8th grade and then transferred to Ocala High School where he graduated in 1966. He then obtained a degree in Public Relations and Advertising from the University of Florida. He opened his advertising company, Laffey & Associates, in 1976 and maintained that business until his retirement in 2013. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, taxidermy, traveling, growing citrus, collecting railroad dining car china, antiquing, and most of all spending time with his family and friends.
David served his community for many years. He served on the Board of Directors of the Marion County Boy’s Club, the Advisory Board of the Ocala Salvation Army and was Chairman of the Capitol Improvement Campaign. He was Public Relations Committee Chairman for B. P. O. E #286. David was the Founder and Charter President of the Greater Ocala Advertising Federation for the 4th District. His most recent endeavor was serving as the President of the Fort King Heritage Association for the past three years and was instrumental in the reconstruction of the replica of Fort King.
Visitation and Rosary for David will be held at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church Chapel Friday, January 4, from 6:00 – 8:00 p. m. with the Rosary beginning at 7:30 pm. Mass will be celebrated at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church at 11:00 a. m. on Saturday, January 5. David will be buried in Lake Wales, Florida beside his parents, Jim and Jannette.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in David’s name to the Fort King Heritage Association, Attention: Bill Rodriguez, 828 N. E. 8th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34470.