This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Roy Mark Jefferson of Deep River passed away peacefully on Nov. 22 at the age of 71. He was the son of Mark and Helen Jefferson of Waterford.

Roy is survived by his wife Cathie, his daughter Whitney and her husband Anderson, his son Robbie and his wife Kaitlyn, his sisters Christine Peterson and her husband John and Shelby Santangelo and her husband Craig, his mother-in-law Lee Shults, his brother-in-law Bill Shults and his wife Linda, and by the multitudes of people whose lives he touched.

After he retired from Ford Credit, he started Jefferson Mortgage Company, but his true passions were always his family and his community. Roy loved the town of Deep River with the kind of fervor that saw him on the Parks and Recreation Commission, as a Sunday school teacher at the Deep River Congregational Church, and longtime member of the Deep River Library Board, where he served for 14 years and was renowned for his “Holiday Champagne Punch.”

Roy was one of the most genuine people you will ever meet. He would want to know your whole life story while standing in line at Adams grocery store, and then ask you about your life the next time you saw him, proof that he was actually listening and cared. The love Roy had for the town was only matched by his love for his family, whom he would brag about to everyone. Few people have been so head over heels in love after 38 years like he was with his wife Cathie, and he would tell everyone he met he was the luckiest man on earth for having met her. If you knew “RoyBoy,” no matter how short or long of a time, know that he truly loved his time around you and if you’re having a drink in his honor know not to say goodbye. Roy never believed in goodbyes because he does not believe that you have seen the last of him, so raise a glass and tell him you’ll see him later.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, a celebration of Roy’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Deep River Library in his honor.