Dr. John William Lafferty

Dr. John William Lafferty
Dr. Lafferty, 90, of The Carriage Club of Charlotte, formerly of Hickory, died on Saturday, November 8, 2003 at Carolinas Medical Center. He was born on March 19, 1913 in Summerville, SC, the son fo the late Reverend John Wilson and Sarah Daffin Lafferty. He graduated from Darlington School in Rome, Georgia in 1930, where he lettered in tennis and basketball. He won the Southern Interscholastic Doubles Championship in 1930. He graduated from Davidson College in 1934 where he lettered in tennis and basketball. Dr. Lafferty taught math at King's Mountain High School and at Darlington School until he resigned to attended medical school at Tulane University. At Tulane he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and graduated in 1946. He served as a medical officer in the U.S. Army, stationed in Vienna, Austria. Following his military service, he served as the first pediatric resident at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, LA. He established The Children's Clinic in 1951 in Hickory in partnership with the late Dr. Dewitt Trivette and served the Hickory area for 27 years. He served on the clinical pediatrics faculty at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston Salem for many years. An avid tennis player until well past his retirement years, he promoted involvement in tennis through coaching as a volunteer, establishing a junior program, organizing tournaments and raising funds for facilities. Dr. Lafferty was an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Hickory, where he also served as longterm member and chairman of the Christian Education Committee.
Dr. Lafferty was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, E.L. (Pete) Lafferty of Banner Elk, North Carolina, and his sister, Cornelia Springs. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Carolyn Reid Lafferty, his daughter, Anne Lafferty Crotty and her husband, Edward J. Crotty of Charlotte, NC; his son, John Morrison Lafferty and his wife, Laura Tron Lafferty of Valdese, NC; and five grandchildren, Susan Crotty, Marian Crotty, Elizabeth Crotty Raki and her husband, Wadie Raki, John Connor Lafferty, and Catherine Lafferty.
A memorial service for Dr. Lafferty will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, November 12, 2003 at First Presbyterian Church, in Hickory, NC. The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall following the service. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 237 Second Street, NW, Hickory, NC 28601.
Bass SMith Funeral Home is serving the Family of Dr. John William Lafferty.