Michael Scully Gaffney

Michael Scully Gaffney, Of Mountain Brook, Al, passed away on May 15, 2012 at the age of 84. Born in Iron Mountain, Michigan to Katherine and John Gaffney, both deceased, he is survived by his wife of 60 years, Romaine; sister, Joan Simmons of Audubon PA; daughters, Kathleen Nolen (Phil), Patricia Gilbert (Carey); sons, John Gaffney (Linda), Kevin Gaffney and Michael Gaffney II (Janee') and seven grandchildren, Timothy Nolen, Parks and Mary Ansley Gilbert, Libby and John Gaffney, Jr. and Katherine and Megan Gaffney.

Michael lived in Houghton, Michigan where his father was a professor at Michigan Tech and moved to York, Pennsylvania in 1941 where he attended York Catholic High School. He was a 1949 graduate of Villanova University with a B.S. degree in Engineering. After serving in the U.S. Navy Air Corps, he was married in 1951 and began a long career in the Power Transmission Industry, with initial stops in Jacksonville and Tampa Florida. While in Tampa in 1968, he met William Spencer III and Caldwell Marks of Birmingham who were looking to expand into the Florida market with their Owen Richards Company eventually becoming part of Genuine Parts Corporation as Motion Industries, headquartered in Irondale, Al. This was a beginning of a thirty year adventure. A move to Birmingham as VP Operations in 1973 led to increasingly responsible positions as the company grew. In the early 1980s, Michael was named President of Motion Industries and grew the business to be the largest distributor of fluid, electrical, hydraulic and mechanical parts in the US, with over a $1 billion annual revenue upon his retirement in 1997.

A member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Birmingham and Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa, Michael was an avid golfer, wine enthusiast and wonderful story teller. He was a generous supporter of many worthy causes and individuals. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Francis Xavier on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Holy Family Catholic School, 1916 19th Street, Birmingham, Al 35218 or the Benedictine Sisters of Cullman, AL, 916 Convent Road, Cullman, Al 35055.

On line condolences may be made at www.ridoutsvalleychapel.com.