Brunswick- Earl D. Gifford Jr., 77, a longtime resident of Eagle Mills, died suddenly Monday, July 6, 2020, at Samaritan Hospital in Troy after being stricken while visiting with family.
Born in Troy, November 12, 1942, Earl was the husband of the late Jean E. (Scofield) Gifford and the son of the late Earl D. Gifford Sr. and Ruth (Pollock) Gifford Maguire and the late Gerald Maguire. Mr. Maguire helped to raise young Earl Jr. after Earl Sr. was killed in action during World War II when Earl Jr. was an infant.
Mr. Gifford was a gradate of Tamarac High School’s Class of 1963 and attended SUNY-Cobleskill.
Raised on the Pollock Family Dairy Farm in Brunswick, Earl assisted in the day to day chores of feeding animals and raising crops as a young man.
More recently he was employed as a communications officer with the Capital Police Department in Albany. Following more than 30 years of service, he retired in 1998. Most recently to fill his quiet time, he was employed as a delivery driver for an Albany based automotive parts store.
Earl enjoyed his family, and that was his life’s greatest joy, spending time with his parents, children, aunts, uncles, and many cousins. He also loved to take car rides with his wife and kids to “nowhere in particular,” sometimes ending up at the Tomhannock Reservoir or, occasionally, York Beach, Maine. He liked to go out for dinner, especially to the local diner and share a hearty meal and a good drink with friends.
When he was a younger man he was a member of the Eagle Mills Volunteer Fire Company.
Mr. Gifford is survived by a daughter, Joanna L. Gifford of Guilderland, a son, Earl D. Gifford III of Eagle Mills, a grandson, Kevin M. Gifford, and his husband, Michael Stiles, of Bloomington, Indiana, a special friend, Nancy Tucker of Troy, and many, many cousins. In addition to his parents and late wife, Earl was predeceased by several aunts, uncles, and cousins, who he found very dear throughout his life.
A private funeral service, following the current NYS COVID-19 Phase 4 guidelines, will be held at Howard B. Tate & Son Funeral Home Inc., 2237 NY -7, located in Raymertown. Burial will take place at a later date in Eagle Mills Cemetery in Brunswick. There will be no public calling.
Memorial contributions, if desired, may be made to the Eagle Mills Volunteer Fire Company, 566 Brunswick Road, Troy, NY 12180, in memory of Earl D. Gifford Jr.
Born in Troy, November 12, 1942, Earl was the husband of the late Jean E. (Scofield) Gifford and the son of the late Earl D. Gifford Sr. and Ruth (Pollock) Gifford Maguire and the late Gerald Maguire. Mr. Maguire helped to raise young Earl Jr. after Earl Sr. was killed in action during World War II when Earl Jr. was an infant.
Mr. Gifford was a gradate of Tamarac High School’s Class of 1963 and attended SUNY-Cobleskill.
Raised on the Pollock Family Dairy Farm in Brunswick, Earl assisted in the day to day chores of feeding animals and raising crops as a young man.
More recently he was employed as a communications officer with the Capital Police Department in Albany. Following more than 30 years of service, he retired in 1998. Most recently to fill his quiet time, he was employed as a delivery driver for an Albany based automotive parts store.
Earl enjoyed his family, and that was his life’s greatest joy, spending time with his parents, children, aunts, uncles, and many cousins. He also loved to take car rides with his wife and kids to “nowhere in particular,” sometimes ending up at the Tomhannock Reservoir or, occasionally, York Beach, Maine. He liked to go out for dinner, especially to the local diner and share a hearty meal and a good drink with friends.
When he was a younger man he was a member of the Eagle Mills Volunteer Fire Company.
Mr. Gifford is survived by a daughter, Joanna L. Gifford of Guilderland, a son, Earl D. Gifford III of Eagle Mills, a grandson, Kevin M. Gifford, and his husband, Michael Stiles, of Bloomington, Indiana, a special friend, Nancy Tucker of Troy, and many, many cousins. In addition to his parents and late wife, Earl was predeceased by several aunts, uncles, and cousins, who he found very dear throughout his life.
A private funeral service, following the current NYS COVID-19 Phase 4 guidelines, will be held at Howard B. Tate & Son Funeral Home Inc., 2237 NY -7, located in Raymertown. Burial will take place at a later date in Eagle Mills Cemetery in Brunswick. There will be no public calling.
Memorial contributions, if desired, may be made to the Eagle Mills Volunteer Fire Company, 566 Brunswick Road, Troy, NY 12180, in memory of Earl D. Gifford Jr.