Gerald “Jerry” Hess died February 21, 2015 in Marshfield, Wisconsin at age 76 of complications of a lung infection.
Gerald was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1939. He was in Germany with his family, mother Etta, father Otto, brothers Gunter and Jurgen from 1939 to 1947. After the war, the family moved to eastern Iowa, he graduated from Davenport High School, attended University of Iowa.
Gerald served in the Army in Korea and later worked for Abbott Laboratories. He lived in Illinois, Minnesota and most recently in White Salmon, Washington for 10 years until moving to Marshfield, Wisconsin last September to be closer to his daughters Johanna and Laurie and grandchildren.
Besides his family, Gerald loved the Chicago Cubs, the forested view of Burdoin Mountain off his house deck in White Salmon, sports, friends, wearing shorts (even at 10° F) and liberal politics.
He had a soft spot for wolves and birds, good food and German beer. He testified at Hood River, Oregon hearings on cleaning up Hanford’s nuclear waste site and served on the Friends of Mount Adams, Washington board as treasurer. While he had strong opinions on certain subjects he was a kind and caring person and friend to many.
He spent time canoeing and fishing in the Boundary Waters Wilderness out of Grand Marais. He lived in Grand Marais for a while, working for a number of years as a FEDEX driver and at the Grand Marais Liquor Store.
Survivors include his daughters Johanna and Laurie, brothers Jurgen and Gunter, sisters-in-law Susan (Jurgen) and Pat (Gunter), nieces, nephew and grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to International Wolf Center, Ely, MN, www.wolf.org.
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