On Sunday, November 1, 2020, Airman First Class Justin Richard Ferrara passed away unexpectedly at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, VA at the age of 21.

Justin was born on August 27, 1999 in Monroe, WA to Richard Ferrara and Janine Miller. He graduated concurrently from Monroe High School and Everett Community College in June 2018, and joined the United States Air Force on September 25, 2018. Justin graduated from basic training on November 23, 2018 at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, attended additional training at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, TX, and had been stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, VA since April 2019.

Justin had a passion for aviation, and also loved cats, snowboarding, waterskiing at Diamond Lake, traveling, and playing the saxophone and piano. He had an uncanny ability to identify different types of jets and remember specific features of airports across the globe. Justin was also a dedicated musician from a young age, becoming drum major of the Monroe High School band for multiple years, playing and teaching other young musicians at the Cascade Conservatory of Music in Bellevue, WA, performing the National Anthem on the saxophone for his squadron's redesignation ceremony at Langley Air Force Base, and joining the Tidewater Concert Band in Portsmouth, VA. He also earned a black belt in taekwondo from Master Ji's Taekwondo School of Martial Arts in Monroe, WA. Justin was humble about his accomplishments, having become a supervisor at Domino's in high school, regularly performing the duties of more senior military personnel, and being coined by the Commander, Four Star General Mark D. Kelly, of Air Combat Command. He was known for his hard-working nature, dedication, smile, compassion, and being a really great friend.

Justin is survived by his parents, Richard Ferrara and Janine Miller, older sister, Jen Groves, and several extended family members. Funeral and graveside services with full military honors will be live-streamed on the public Facebook page of Hawthorne Funeral Home and Memorial Park, located in Mount Vernon, WA, on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 1 pm PST/4 pm EST.

https://www.facebook.com/hawthornefuneralhome/

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Justin's name to America's Gold Star Families.

https://www.americasgoldstarfamilies.org/donation/