Gerald Cromwell

1943 - 2016

Cromwell, Gerald
Oct 15, 1943 - Oct 1, 2016
Gerry Cromwell, 72, a resident of Lakewood Ranch, FL, died Oct 1 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Gerry was born in Vesper, Kansas to Lilly and Ralph Cromwell. Growing up in a rural farm community in Central Kansas, Gerry was a star in 3 sports in High School.
Gerry was a graduate of Emporia State University, where he received a B.A. in Business Administration, was a member of the Blue Key Society, and where he met his soul mate, and future wife, Jan. Gerry proudly served his country as a member of the US Air Force reserves for 6 years. Gerry held various Sales and Leadership roles throughout his career in the computer and software fields, working with Burroughs Corp for 15 years, Data General for 14 years, Oracle for 8 years, and Primus. After a successful career in the corporate world, Gerry launched his own company, The Cromwell Group, which became the leading executive search firm in the US within the multi-family property management industry. Gerry's career throughout the years took him to many great places, where his family treated each as a new adventure, including stops in Kansas City, St. Louis, Detroit, LA, Memphis, Boston, Atlanta, Tokyo, Japan, Washington DC, Charlotte, Fort Mill, SC, and upon retirement, Lakewood Ranch, FL.
Gerry was a loving, caring, and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. His family and his faith in God were most important to him, and he cherished the time he spent with his wife, kids, grandkids, and other relatives. He loved watching his kids and grandkids play sports, traveling across the country and into Canada to watch his grandkids play hockey, and compete in gymnastics and cheerleading. He lived life to the fullest with a passion for travel (he visited all 50 states, and extensively abroad), golf with his son, grandson, and golf buddies, biking all over Lakewood Ranch with his wife, and many years of tennis, and in Japan, paddle tennis.
Gerry is preceded in death by his father, Ralph Cromwell, and his mother, Lilly Cromwell. Gerry is survived by his wife of 52 years, Janice (Jan) Cromwell, son, Michael Cromwell of McKinney, TX, daughter, Heather Cromwell of Fort Mill, SC. He was the proud Grandpa of 4 grandchildren: Alex Cromwell, Katherine Cromwell, Allie Harr, and Megan Harr. He is also survived by his sisters Eileen Markley, and Linda Everhart.
There will be a "Celebration of Life" on Friday, Oct. 7 at Bayside Community Church, East Bradenton campus, at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The First Tee of Sarasota/Manatee, or Habitat for Humanity.