William R. “Bill” Gerrity, 78, of Macungie, died suddenly Jan. 22, 2023. He was the husband of Margaret Hayes Gerrity for 46 years. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he was the son of the late William and Josephine Gerrity.

He grew up in New York City and then upstate New York with his younger sister. He graduated from Narrowsburg Central School and Siena College.

He served in the Air Force for four years during the Vietnam War. He was stationed in Thailand for one year and later received his pilot’s license.

He met his wife on a flight coming back from Ireland and they were married in 1976. He worked as an immigration officer at JFK Airport for 35 years, retiring in 2005. They moved from Long Island, N.Y. to Macungie where they settled into a retirement community.

He loved traveling, attending ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll concerts, and was a zealous Yankees baseball fan. He took up running in his 40s and completed the NYC Marathon twice. He spent his retirement enjoying life as an active member of his church serving as a Eucharistic minister, as treasurer of his local Knights of Columbus division and as a member of a local Yankees Fan Club, attending many games.

He is survived by his wife; daughter, Martina and her husband, Gregory Shields; grandsons, Ryan and Dillon. He was predeceased by a sister, Carol Laraia.

Contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.

Arrangements were made by the Stephens Funeral Home, Inc., Allentown.