Alfred G. “Jerry” Laverty, 75 of Worcester passed away on August 4, 2026 at UMass Memorial Hospital. Jerry was the son of Alfred A. and Rita C. (Hackett) Laverty and the stepson of Joseph Gagnon and the younger brother of William Laverty, all of whom predeceased him. Jerry is survived by many nieces and nephews as well as by many loving cousins and friends.
Jerry Laverty attended Worcester public schools and graduated from South High in 1970. His yearbook motto was; “Astra castra, numen lumen.”*. The true “catchers in the rye” in our society are the men and women who work as school crossing guards. Each day these invisible heroes place themselves between rush hour traffic and our school children. Jerry Laverty served as a school crossing guard at Columbus Park school for thirty years. Jerry loved the job because he saw it as a way to serve the community he grew up in. Each child delivered to and from school safely was a reward for a job well done.
Jerry Laverty was a dedicated scholar. If a subject grabbed his interest he’d pursue it with an intellectual hunger. As a young boy he studied everything he could find about the American presidents. He collected Superman comic books and the music of Al Jolson. One of the framed plaques on the wall of Jerry’s apartment was from the Texas State Historical Association recognizing Jerry for his deep interest in the battle of the Alamo. Another of his proud possessions was a thoughtful letter he received from Dr. Robert Goddard’s widow, thanking him for the interest Jerry showed in Dr. Goddard’s research.
Being such a dedicated scholar, Jerry Laverty considered himself lucky to have grown up in Worcester, Massachusetts. The abundance of colleges in the city and the availability and openness of college libraries provided Jerry with a rich, research environment. He was able to spend hours pouring over the subjects that interested him. Later in life, when Jerry finally bought a personal computer he said it was like getting the keys to all the libraries of the world. He was delighted.
In his 50s, Jerry diagnosed himself as having Asperger’s syndrome. Jerry’s behavior could be perplexing at times and his revelation was an important moment for both Jerry and his extended family. Knowledge is power and once you understand yourself you can more easily relate to the world around you. It took Jerry’s own openness to look at himself and share that knowledge with his family in order for his family to more clearly see him for the unique man he was.
The two most important things in Jerry’s life were his family and his Catholic faith. The Catholic Church was central to Jerry Laverty’s life. His strong faith helped him navigate through the worst of times. The death of his mother and later, the passing of his step father were traumatic moments for Jerry. His faith never wavered. As the end of his own life approached, Jerry faced it wearing the same scapula he wore when he received his First Holy Communion.
Our family has lost a big part of what made us unique. Jerry was considered the family historian. He knew all the dates; the births, the deaths the marriage anniversaries. In our family if you wanted to know what county in Ireland Grandma Shaughnessy came from, you always called our Jerry. He will be missed.
* “The stars are my camp, God is my light.”
His funeral Mass will be held on Monday, August 10th at 11:00 a.m. in St. Andrew the Apostle Church, 16 Vineyard Street. Burial will follow in St. John's Cemetery. Please meet at church. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to St. Andrew the Apostle Church, c/o St. Peter's Church, 931 Main Street, Worcester. O'CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue is assisting the family with arrangements.