Gerald P. Lenaghan "Gerry," 88, died Monday September 11, 2023, following a brief illness.
Gerry was devoted to the love of his life; his wife of 60 years, Catherine "Cathy" (Conroy) Lenaghan, who mourns his loss. Gerry is also survived by his son, Robert and his wife Janet Lenaghan; daughter Eileen Adelsberger and her husband Joseph Adelsberger and his son-in-law Wayne Hoffman. Sadly, he was predeceased by his daughter Susan Hoffman. And he leaves his grandchildren Delaney and Brian Lenaghan, Katie and Danny Adelsberger, Lily, Maggie and Patrick Hoffman.He is also survived by his beloved brother Terry Lenaghan and his wife Eileen and many dear extended family and friends.
Gerry was born on July 14, 1935, and raised in the Bronx, NY, the son of Irish immigrants Daniel and Kathleen (Black) Lenaghan. The oldest of four children, Gerry was the brother of Elizabeth (Lenaghan) O'Connor, Terrance Lenaghan, and Kevin Lenaghan.Gerry left high school before graduating and enlisted in the US Navy in March of 1953. He was a proud veteran who served on board the USS Macon, a heavy cruiser. Upon his honorable discharge from the Navy, he returned to the Bronx where he earned his high school GED and enrolled in Iona College where he graduated with a BA in Finance in 1960. He was proud to hold dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland.
He and Cathy married on May 4, 1963 and they moved to Queens where they started their family. He worked for Meadowbrook Bank and proudly served with the volunteer ambulance corps. They bought a house in Huntington on Long Island in September 1971. When not making improvements to their home, Gerry loved to boat and fish on both the Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean off the south shore.
Gerry was an active member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Huntington, volunteering his time as a Religious Education Teacher and a Eucharistic Minister. Gerry retired from the New York Telephone Company where he worked as a marketing manager in 1998. He and Cathy bought their retirement home in Jensen Beach, FL in 1998 where he continued to enjoy his passions of home improvement, boating and fishing and where he picked up golf. He was a Life Member of the VFW Post 10066 as well as a member of the American Legion Post 318.
A funeral mass will be held in Gerry's honor at 11:00 am on October 5, 2023, at St. Martin de Porre Catholic Church, 2555 NE Savannah Road, Jensen Beach, FL 34957. He will be interred at the South Florida National Cemetery, 6501 N. State Road 7, Lake Worth, FL 33449.
A charitable donation in Gerry's name can be made to the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center Social Work Fund, 501 SE Osceola Street Stuart, FL 34994 (772) 223-5945 Ext. 13704 or to the Leukemia& Lymphoma Society (LLS) https://www.lls.org/