10/31/2026
We apologize for the delay in making this post. We only recently became aware of Adam's passing and wanted to take a moment to acknowledge this loss. We are deeply saddened by this news and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and all those who knew and loved him. May he rest in peace.❤️
Adam Jay Furfari
Adam Jay Furfari, 51, of Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, passed away unexpectedly on July 26, 2026.
Born May 12, 1975, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Adam was the son of Pietro John Furfari and Mary Kay (Lundberg) Furfari.
Adam grew up in western Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn Cambria High School, where he played football and ran track. His father, Pete, was Adam's best friend growing up. That relationship helped shape Adam's understanding of fatherhood, loyalty, hard work, and the importance of simply being there for the people you love - values he carried throughout his life and passed on to his own children.
Adam lived a life defined by service, compassion, courage, curiosity, and an extraordinary capacity to care for others. Whether as a soldier, psychiatric provider, husband, father, teacher, farmer, or friend, he gave himself fully to the people, animals, and communities entrusted to his care.
Adam attended Saint Francis College, where he played football on scholarship and earned his nursing degree. He was also a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, forming friendships and a brotherhood that became part of those formative years.
Adam was a lifelong martial artist, a fourth-degree black belt and Master in Tang Soo Do who trained extensively across multiple disciplines. He trained, competed, and taught for decades, including competing internationally, and for fifteen years owned and operated his own martial arts studio. Martial arts shaped the way he moved through the world - with discipline, focus, humility, perseverance, courage, and respect. As a teacher, he understood that the lessons extended far beyond technique. He taught confidence, self-discipline, perseverance, and how to stand back up when life knocked you down. For many students, he became more than an instructor; he was a mentor, a steady presence, and someone who believed in what they could become.
Adam served for nearly a decade in the United States Army Reserve, ultimately attaining the rank of Major. As an Army psychiatric mental health nurse, he was mobilized in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and later deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. He provided psychiatric care to fellow soldiers in deployed environments and helped coordinate mental health services across multiple bases in Iraq. His service was recognized with numerous military honors, including two Army Commendation Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" Device.
He returned home carrying an understanding of war, trauma, responsibility, and sacrifice that would remain with him for the rest of his life.
Adam continued his education, ultimately completing his Master of Science in Nursing at Widener University and becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. Laura was a master's-trained public health professional when their paths crossed at Hamburg Center within the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
There, they began seeing patients together, beginning a personal and professional partnership that would continue to evolve for years to come.
Following Adam's military service, Laura also pursued her Master of Science in Nursing at Wilkes University, and together they completed advanced psychiatric training at Wilkes , eventually both earning national certification as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners and entering private practice together.
Adam and Laura shared a deep commitment to caring for people too often overlooked by traditional systems. That commitment led them to establish Council Tree Psychiatry, LLC, where they treated people living with mental illness, substance-use disorders, trauma, and disability, with a particular belief in dignity for those who were underserved or difficult for others to reach.
Their work eventually led them to ask a larger question: what does it truly take for a human being to heal? They came to believe that healing could not always be found through medication management and talk therapy alone. It could also live in environment, movement, Yoga, nature, meaningful work, real food, animals, community, social connection, and the experience of belonging.
That idea became their legacy project, The Roost.
Adam and Laura moved their family to a small, remote island off the coast of South Carolina, where they created
The Roost - Sanctuary and Institute for Living Systems. More than a farm, it brought together regenerative agriculture, humane education, animal rescue and sanctuary, food, nature, mental health, veterans, families, and community.
Adam poured his heart, mind, and body into the land. He became a farmer, builder, caretaker, teacher, problem-solver, and steward, deeply committed to regenerative agriculture, animal welfare, sustainable food systems, and the responsibility people have to care for the earth and for one another.
The Roost became a USDA-registered farm in 2023, was featured at the state's annual Department of Agritourism conference in 2024, and in 2025 was designated a member of Farms of the Brave in recognition of its mission as a veteran-owned and operated farm.
It produced food for Adam's family, the island, and its visitors while giving people a place to reconnect with the living world around them.
Adam's commitment to Daufuskie extended beyond the farm. He served on the Daufuskie Island Council, advocating for the island and working to preserve the place he had come to love so deeply.
He cared about Daufuskie's people, history, land, and future, and believed in protecting its character for generations to come.
Thousands of people came through The Roost's gates. Children held animals. Veterans found common ground. Families learned where food came from. Visitors slowed down long enough to experience something increasingly rare - genuine connection.
Above all else, Adam was a husband and a father.
He loved Laura deeply, and together they built a life that was rarely conventional but always full - full of children, animals, patients, projects, ideas, laughter, hard work, and an enduring belief that they could make something better.
Adam opened his heart completely to their large blended family. He raised children who were not biologically his as his own, giving freely of his time, attention, encouragement, and love. He drove countless miles, showed up for games and events, coached youth soccer, supported dreams, taught lessons, solved problems, and was simply there. To his children and the many young people he mentored, Adam gave the same thing again and again: himself.
Adam was larger than life and yet remarkably humble - intelligent, funny, brave, generous, endlessly curious, and capable of extraordinary tenderness. He loved soccer, fishing, martial arts, farming, animals, learning, teaching, and a good challenge. He could be intensely serious about the things that mattered to him and wonderfully ridiculous about everything else.
Adam believed that every life was valuable. That belief could be seen in the way he cared for people others had given up on, protected animals that needed sanctuary, served fellow soldiers, taught students, loved his family, and built a place rooted in belonging.
His legacy lives in all of them.
It lives in The Roost, in the soil he worked, in the people he cared for and taught, in the soldiers he served beside, and most of all in the children he helped raise and the family he loved.
At The Roost, three simple words came to represent what Adam and Laura were trying to build:
LOVE GROWS HERE.
And because of Adam, it always will.
Adam was preceded in death by his father, Pete Furfari; his maternal grandparents, Albert and Katherine Lundberg; and his paternal grandparents, Dominic and Margaret Furfari.
Adam is survived by his wife, Laura Furfari;
his children, Mia, Cecelia, Nicolas, Sophia, Priscilla, William, James, and Ashleigh; and his mother, Mary Kay Furfari; his brother, Eric Sean Furfari; with many extended family members, friends, colleagues, former students, patients, fellow service members, neighbors, and members of the Daufuskie Island community whose lives were touched by his.
A beautiful celebration of Adam’s life was held at 2:00 p.m. on August 2, 2026, at the historic First Union African Baptist Church on Daufuskie Island. Surrounded by family, friends, and the people of the island he loved, we came together to remember Adam and the extraordinary life he lived.
Danielle Hicks- Crosby, a beloved local resident and vocalist , sang through her tears. Sallie Ann Robinson, a Gullah native, fellow council member and longtime friend of the family, sang. R. J. Vinson, a world-traveled singer, songwriter, and close family friend also paid tribute through song.
Family members and friends offered heartfelt words, memories, and music, creating a deeply moving reflection of Adam’s life. His passing left the island and all who knew him grieving and profoundly shaken. The outpouring of love at the service spoke to the lasting impact he made and the special place he holds in the hearts of so many.
We are deeply grateful to Pastor Aaron Crosby, and the family and friends who shared their voices, memories, and music. We also thank everyone who joined us to remember Adam and support one another.
For those who were unable to attend, Adam’s Celebration of Life may be viewed here-
https://youtu.be/QPOEeXXgO1k
A Catholic Mass honoring Adam was held on September 5, 2026, at Our Lady of the Alleghenies Catholic Church in Lilly, Pennsylvania, with Father Matthew Reese as celebrant. The Mass offered Adam’s mother, family, and loved ones in Pennsylvania—where he was raised—a meaningful opportunity to gather, pray, and pay their respects.
Adam will be laid to rest at noon on September 28, 2026, at the beautiful Beaufort National Cemeteryin Beaufort, South Carolina. Those attending should gather at the cemetery’s main entrance and assembly area at least 15 minutes before the service begins. Cemetery staff will direct attendees to the appropriate location for the committal service.
The Catholic Rite of Committal will be led by Deacon Gene Kelenski of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Beaufort, followed by military honors in recognition of Adam’s dedicated service to our country.
All who knew and loved Adam are warmly invited to join us as we remember his life and lay him to rest with the dignity and respect he so richly deserves.
A gathering in remembrance of Adam will follow. Additional details will be shared once arrangements are finalized.
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