Obituary of Norman A. LaFreda

Norman "Zeke" LaFreda of Hammonton, NJ went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 10th, 2022. He is survived by his younger sister Loretta Dachowski, and his three children: son, Brian LaFreda (wife Trinity) of Hammonton, NJ; son, David LaFreda (wife Martha) of Murfreesboro, TN; and daughter, Toni ("Sugar") Benefiel (husband Blake) of Fishers IN. Born on September 19th, 1934, in Cecil, NJ, he lived in Hammonton before retiring to Florida in 1989, eventually moving back to Hammonton in 1994 where he lived until his passing. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Lena (nee Vezza) LaFreda of Rosedale, NJ and his older sister Doris DeStefano of Hammonton, NJ. People who knew him well, knew that he was passionate about His God, Jesus, his church, and his family…and playing pinochle at the Hammonton Canoe Club. He loved visiting and playing with his grandchildren (Cole, Seth, Addison, and Piper), eating Chinese takeout, and enjoyed flying his own airplane around the country to visit his old "war buddies." He was a generous man with a big heart which he often tried to hide, but to no avail. He was drafted into the Regular Army in 1957 during the Korean conflict and served in Heidelberg, Germany as a draftsman making maps from U-2 surveillance photos. Later, he was a union carpenter and built many homes and businesses in the South Jersey and Philly areas including the LaNor Villas Condominiums. At the age of 48, he turned his passion and hobby of flying into a career, being hired by a commuter airline flying regularly scheduled feeder routes for Delta, as well as on-demand corporate and charter flights. A memorial service will be held on January 13th at 7:00pm at his home church, Calvary Chapel of Hammonton at 660 S. Egg Harbor Road, Hammonton, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Hammonton Canoe Club 100 Central Ave., Hammonton, NJ 08037. Please put "In Memory of Norman LaFreda" in memo. Arrangements are by the Carnesale Funeral Home, Hammonton, NJ. (www.carnesalefuneralhome.com).