Gregory K. Hafford

Greg passed away on May 19, 2026 from natural causes. He courageously struggled with a serious chronic digestive system illness for years. His body finally had enough and gave out. He was 55 years old.

He always considered himself a member of the warrior class, approaching life with gusto, willing to face any challenge, and not backing down from any obstacle, human, or otherwise. He was born on November 30, 1970 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Being a member of a family that relocated often, he bonded closely with his sister and best friend in the world, Jackie, as they worked together to get acclimated to new environments, including Albany, Georgia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; and Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania (Jackie stayed behind in Missouri to get married and raise a family – Greg was on his own!).

Greg was most proud of his military service, serving his country in both a time of peace and a time of war. Stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas as a member of the armor division of the First Infantry Division, or the Big Red One, he was deployed to Iraq in the early 1990’s to liberate Kuwait from the grips of Saddam Hussein. Assigned as the driver of the lead tank, with the Company Commander inside, he and the rest of the Big Red One led the VII Corps across Iraq towards Kuwait, eliminating any Iraqi Republican Guard forces that got in the way.

Once honorably discharged from the army, Greg got a degree in animal biology from Penn State and ended up working for Procter & Gamble for 21 years at the Mehoopany, Pennsylvania manufacturing site.

Although Greg considered himself a warrior, his true personality was one of love, compassion, a zest for life, and lots of humor. After the Iraq war was over and patiently waiting for the signing of the peace treaty, he spent a lot of time with the hungry, displaced Kurdish children, offering them his army rations, showing them how some of his electronic devices worked, and teaching them how to play hopscotch in the desert sand.

In May of 2007, Greg took a leave of absence from P&G to be with his mother, Margo, in Illinois, who was dying of terminal lung cancer. On May 17 he held his mother’s hand, while his sister, Jackie, was in a Missouri hospital, giving birth to her second child. Once Greg was able to tell his mom that both Jackie and her new son were fine, his mother’s grip slowly loosened, and she passed away.

On May 19, 2026 Greg’s mom repaid the favor. She reached out to him to lead the way to his final stop on his journey, where they could rest in peace together. Greg was a true loving person, a warrior, who found his way to Heaven/Valhalla like every other Viking before him. A family tribute with full military honors will be held soon, recognizing him as the true warrior that he was.

Greg, we love you and will always miss you. Rest in peace, my son. SKOL