John Henry Gerety Jr.

John Henry Gerety, Jr, was born April 6, 1927, in Klamath Falls, OR, to John H. Sr. and Florence “Nell” (Miller) Gerety. He went to be with his Lord on May 19, 2023, at his home. Before he was two years old, the family moved back to Wichita in his father’s home state of Kansas. His elementary school years were in Wichita, followed by high school in Leavenworth, KS, Omaha, NE, and Hutchinson, KS, due to his father’s military transfers and subsequent overseas service in WWII. He graduated in 1944 with an appointment to West Point Military Academy, but due to illness was medically discharged the next year. In 1949 he received a B.S. in chemical engineering at the University of Kansas. Not long thereafter, he was drafted into the U.S. Army for the Korean War. He served at Nevada National Testing Station, participating in ten atomic bomb tests. After the war John went back to K.U. and earned his M.S. in chemical engineering in 1954, after which he worked for GE Corporation in Hanford, WA and Atomics International at the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho. It was in Idaho he met his future wife, Jeanine Ruth Lange. They we married in Ord, NE on July 15, 1962. They began their married life in Seattle where John did research for Boeing Company. When that research was discontinued, he was a chemical engineer for the US Government in Maryland and later in Missouri. In 1969, he decided to go into business for himself. After researching various possibilities they bought a motel in Klamath Falls, OR, where they remained until all their children had finished college. They retired in 1992 and moved to Elkhorn, NE, a year later to be near enough to help Jeanine’s mother in her last years. In retirement, John enjoyed his carpentry and yard work, traveling, his hobby of philately, and being an active member of Lord of Life Lutheran Church. Left to mourn John’s death are his wife, Jeanine, and children: Kathryn (Michael) Friedman, Sheila (Jeremy) Tu, Thomas (Hiromi) Gerety, Moira (Tim) Neal, Kevin (Kim) Gerety, and Mason (Marsha) Gerety; 13 grandchildren: Daniel, Jacob, and Benjamin Friedman, Alexandra “Lexi”, Kristiana “Triana”, Michal and Izac Tu, Adam, Liam, Kincaid, and Galen Gerety, Nora (Josh) Jamilkowsky, Helen (Rhys) Heyden; and 4 great grandchildren. John’s family would like to express their grateful thanks for all the help and friendship they have received through CHI Home Hospice over the past sixteen months. Visitation will be held at Reichmuth Funeral Home in Elkhorn on Thursday, June 1, from 5-7pm. A memorial service will be held at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Elkhorn on Friday, June 2, at 11:00am, with lunch to follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Concordia Lutheran Schools-Omaha, or the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.

John Henry Gerety Jr.

April 6, 1927 - May 19, 2023