Gerald Joseph Lemerise,76, was known as Jerry by family and friends.
Jerry was born on January 16, 1947 in Worcester, MA and passed away on December 16, 2023 at Bradley House Hospice of Marion County in Summerfield, FL. He leaves his devoted wife of 39 years, Sara Sue, son Scott Lemerise of Upton, MA, daughter, and his “princess”, Kristen Putnam (husband Jeff) of Milford, grandson Thomas Putnam and granddaughter Nicole Putnam. He also leaves two brothers, Roger Lemerise (wife Sharon) of Grand Blanc, MI, Joey Lemerise of Northborough, MA and a sister, Judy Maloney of Northborough, MA. Jerry was stepfather to Justin Standard (wife Trisha) of Hernando, MS, and granddaddy to Justin’s three children, Cade, Jack and Hannah. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Catherine Lemerise of Northborough, MA.
Jerry served in the United States Marine Corps from 1966 to 1970 as a Sergeant, 3rd Force Recon, 3rd Marine Division. He was awarded the Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and a Presidential Unit Citation during his three tours of duty in Vietnam.
He met his wife, Sara Sue Johnson, while working as a Senior Manager for FedEx in Memphis, TN. Jerry held various management positions in Memphis and in Newark, NJ from 1979 until his retirement in 1997 as a Managing Director.
Jerry’s passion was golf, which he enjoyed throughout his life. He worked tirelessly with The Villages Honor Flight, organizing annual golf tournaments to raise funds to fly WWII veterans to Washington, DC. He was especially honored to serve as escort to two WWII veterans on two of these flights. Sadly, his golfing days were cut short by the ravages of Parkinson’s Disease in his last years.
A private burial will be at the National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL. In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Jerry’s memory with a donation to a charity which supports the needs of our military heroes.
