Gerard Roy

ROY Gerard (Gerry) Roy, 48, of Tavernier passed away peacefully at Shands Memorial Hospital on Friday, May 9, 2014 with his loving family by his side. Gerry was predeceased by his brother, Peter & his mother, Cecile. He is survived by his father Gerard (Pete) Roy, his niece Laura, nephew Nathan, his sister Jeanne and her husband Tom Oxenfeld. Born in Holyoke, MA on Feb 28, 1966, he & his family moved to Tavernier when he was 5 years old. Gerry lived a remarkable life. He was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 2. He became a fighter at an early age. He took the dreaded disease head on & took the early life expectancy as a personal challenge. When his lungs began failing in his early 30's, he received a double lung transplant at Shands which enabled him to live a high quality of life for nearly 16 more years! His transplant team always praised and admired Gerry for his unwavering dedication in battling his disease as well as enduring the challenges of being a double lung transplant recipient. Gerry graduated from Coral Shores High School in 1984. He was well known in the Upper Keys community for being an outstanding small motor repair expert. Gerry served as a Monroe County Reserve Deputy in the early 2000's. As a consummate dog lover, he always had a special place in his heart for Honey, Mr. Scoot & the "red torpedo". Friends and family especially loved his "wicked" sense of humor! Gerry was a master gardener who had a special love of orchids. In addition to his vast personal collection, he was an active member of the Florida Keys Orchid Society where he had served as president for the past 3 years. We will have a Celebration of Life at the Brandon residence 94100 Overseas Highway in Tavernier on Sunday, May 18th @ 2 PM. Memorial donations may be made to University of FL Lung Transplant Research Program (https://www.uff.ufl.edu/onlinegiving/funddetail.asp?FundCode=008263) or to the South Florida chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (florida@cff.org).