Gerard, William G. 1947-2004

GERARD, CHRISTIAN, PATTEN

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 5/3/2010 at 18:02:39

The Brooklyn Chronicle (Brooklyn, Iowa) Dec. 22, 2004

BILL GERARD, 57

Bill Gerard, 57, of Grinnell died Friday, December 17, 2004, of injuries sustained in a traffic accident on I-80 near Grinnell.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 22, 2004, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell, with the Rev. Bill Reynolds officiating. Burial will be in Hazelwood Cemetery.

The casket bearers will be Bob Christian, Gene Criswell, Cam D'Hooge, J.J. Gerard, Bob Newton, Donnie and Joe Patten, and Derrick Verona.

The honorary casket bearers will be Dwayne Brecht, Norman Hall, Jim Miller and Jack Smothers. Memorial contributions may be directed towards the Bill Gerard Memorial Fund.

Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell handled arrangements.

The son of Glen Earl and Frances Coraline Christian Gerard, Bill was born March 22, 1947, in Marengo. He was raised in the area, and he received his education at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton.

He married Linda Patten July 22, 1972, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Brooklyn, and the couple raised their three children in Grinnell. Bill was employed at several businesses including the dining hall services at Grinnell College, DeLong Sportswear, Hy-Vee Food Store, R and M Redemption Center, and with Gordy Abel's roofing business. He was a carrier for the Des Moines Register and the Pennysaver, and he assisted Norman Hall in his antique business. He also operated his own lawn maintenance and snow removal service in Grinnell for almost 30 years.

Survivors include his three children, David Gerard and his fiancee, Mandy, Christian Gerard and Heather Gerard, all of Grinnell; his mother, Frances Gerard of Estes Park, Colorado; his brother, James Gerard, and his wife, Terri, of Fort Collins, Colorado; four grandchildren, Dominique, Drew, Simone and Brent, all of Grinnell; and several other relatives.

He was preceded in death by his father.