Charlton: Larry E. Hafer, 84, of Peaceful Lane, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, July 15th, with his loving family by his side, after a brief illness.

He leaves his beloved wife of 64 years, Carolyn J. (Abraham) Hafer; his son, Frederick L. Hafer and his wife Casey of Norfolk, VA; three daughters, Diana J. Ijams and her husband, Andrew of Charlton, Pamela A. Renzoni and her husband, John of Grafton and Rita L. Draper and her husband,  Matt of Bellevue, NE; his ten grandchildren, Christine, Richard, Scott, Nicole, Ryan, Katherine, Emily, Sarah, John, and Samuel, ten great grandchildren, longtime family friend Andrew Borer, and many nieces and nephews. Larry is predeceased by his loyal Boston Terriers, Daisy and Annie.

Larry was born in Akron, Ohio, the son of Lloyd E. and Mildred J. (Mumper) Hafer.  He proudly served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy for over 20 years. During his years of service, Larry was honored to serve aboard the USS Wasp (1958-66), USS Compass Island (1966-67), USS Blackwood (1967-68), USS Intrepid (1970-73), USS Waterford (1974-77), and USS Eisenhower (1977-78). In addition, he performed recruitment enlistment in Cleveland (1968) and attended Officer Indoctrination School (1969), where he was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer. During his service, Larry was awarded commendations, including the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Navy Expeditionary Medal for his service during the Congo Crisis, a Defense Service Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal. Following his military career, Larry worked as Maintenance Department Supervisor for Nuclear Metals Inc. in Concord for 20 years.

Following retirement, Larry enjoyed gardening and woodworking, and spent countless summers boating and fishing with his grandchildren. Larry enjoyed travelling with his adventure partner, Carolyn, and was always ready for mischief and a good joke.

His funeral with Navy honors will be held on Sunday, July 20th at 2:00 pm in the Daniel T. Morrill Funeral Home, 130 Hamilton St., Southbridge. A calling hour in the funeral home will be held on Sunday, July 20th, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm prior to the service.  Burial in Northside Cemetery, Charlton will be private at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Larry's honor to the Wounded Warrior Project: www.woundedwarriorproject.org