Jason Hernando McCafferty

1972 - 2019

Jason Hernando McCafferty

Kingman - Jason Hernando McCafferty was a friend to everyone. Whether he was traveling through new countries, riding a cross-country bus or camping in the desert, Jason found the good in everyone he met.

Jason died February 11 in Kingman. He was 46.

Born May 3, 1972 in Bronx, NY, Jason moved to Arizona with his mother, Cynthia (Raney) McCafferty, and his father, Frank McCafferty, when he was 6 years old.

The family took the slow route from New York, traveling by Greyhound Bus for three days. That gave Jason ample time to run up and down the aisle and charm all the passengers with his chatter, his wide smile and his endless curiosity. By the time they arrived in Flagstaff the entire busload of passengers called out to say "Goodbye, Jason."

Jason never grew out of his infectious happiness, and he found adventure every day.

"He loved Arizona, the mountains, the sunshine, the ruggedness of it," his mother said. "It was just like him."

Jason was most at home in the great outdoors. The heat didn't stop him, nor did the sub-zero winters when he worked in Alaska. As if snowboarding, hiking and racing his yellow motorcycle through the desert didn't give him enough time in the fresh air, he worked as a land surveyor, most recently for Bowman Consulting in Tempe.

A lifelong builder who studied civil engineering at Northern Arizona University, Jason liked to tinker with mechanical odds and ends he kept in boxes in his house. Jason and his brother, Adam, built a hoverboard in their backyard long before the devices were popular and, in 2005, cobbled together the beginnings of a drone.

In addition to his parents and brother, Jason is survived by a large extended family that includes 19 adoring cousins. A memorial service will be planned for a future date.