Another downtown South Deerfield character became a memory overnight Friday when affable barber Gerald “Jerry” Fortier passed at home in his sleep.

Many a yarn was spun in that place of business, not to mention the practical jokes and fibs that kept the daily banter lively, Fortier’s devilish, crooked grin perpetual for his loyal customers. They say the lines at his wake were of legendary status, which came as no surprise here. Jerry Fortier was a downtown institution, right up there with Billy Rotkiewicz, who filled many of the same townspeople’s coffee cups and prescriptions regularly.

“Whether it was staying late on Friday to shave lightning bolts on your head for the Super Bowl or opening early to clean you up for your wedding, Jerry was always there,” wrote Kevin Wesoloski, from the Mill River District of Deerfield, who aptly called Fortier “a South Deerfield legend.”

Wesoloski continued:

“Jerry’s shop was the one place you could go to catch up on the local gossip, politics and sports info. He certainly loved his Frontier teams. What I’ll miss most is Jerry always knew who was having success in the deer and turkey woods. You could always count on him to find out who was filling their tags, and usually son Mark was right on top of the list.

“It’s comforting to know he passed peacefully and never had to retire. Fortier’s Barber Shop — it’s those special places and unique personalities that make small-town living what it is.”

A Conway native, Fortier recently celebrated his family’s 70^th year owning a South Deerfield barber shop. The first one stood closer to the town common, where the current Cumberland Farms stands. Then he moved to his last address a short piece up the street, next door to the Hot’l Warren, where I can remember him working with his father and brother. In those days there were three barber shops downtown, Jerry’s, Charlie’s and Vic’s, each with its own spin on world and local affairs. If you went to one and it was crowded, you tried the others, stopping where you could get the quickest cut. “Once around the block,” was the standard request in the chair.

Those were the days of Professional and Wells’ pharmacies, Boron’s, Paciorek’s and Walt’s New England markets, Chick’s Luncheonette, Al’s Bar & Grill, the Bloody Brook, Hosley Brothers’ Garage, Gordon E. Ainsworth & Associates, Redmen’s Hall, and Ostrowski’s Bakery, with the good, hard-crusted Polish rye you had trouble cutting through with your teeth.

They’re all gone today, and so is the town’s last barber shop. For those who have walked through Fortier’s doors monthly for decades, a haircut will never be the same.