Robert "Bob" Gerry

Robert "Bob" Gerry, 80, of Baker City and formerly of La Grande and Redwood City, Calif., died April 15. A remembrance and memorial service for family and friends will take place at noon Saturday at the Durkee cemetery followed by a gathering of family and friends at the community center in Durkee.

He was born in May 1928 to Clifford R. Gerry and Mary Evelyn (Sheehan) Gerry in Baker. He was the seventh child of this union. Robert attended schools in Durkee, Haines, Joseph and Baker. He was recruited to play basketball for Baker High School and after graduation, he attended Eastern Oregon State College where he also played basketball.

Robert served in the U.S. Navy from 1948 through 1951, a Korean War veteran. After graduation from San Jose College, earning an AB and MA in elementary education and administration, Robert taught elementary grades and held the position of vice principal in Redwood City, Calif., for 20 years.

Those who knew Bob say he will be remembered for his keen sense of his Irish ancestry, his sense of humor, his beloved San Francisco 49ers and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. They say he never met a stranger and was loved by family and friends.

Robert is survived by a daughter, Christina and her husband, James Lucci, of Irvine, Calif.; son, Robert and his wife, Beth, of Indiana; four grandsons; sister, Patricia Gerry Coleman of San Jose, Calif.; and many nieces and nephews. Robert was preceded in death by his parents; and seven siblings, Winnie and Evelyn Stewart, Serene and Ida Hindman and Clifford, James and William Gerry.

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