Jerome Ferrand

FERRAND, Jerome "Jerry," formerly of Richmond, passed away on December 14, 2010, at the age of 84, in San Juan Cosala, Mexico. Born in New York, N.Y., on January 5, 1926, Mr. Ferrand studied for one year at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., until he was 18 years old. He joined the U.S. Army in 1944 and served in the European Theater, where he was wounded in the Normandy invasion on D plus 5 and hospitalized in France. He received the Purple Heart. After his recovery and honorable discharge from the Army, Mr. Ferrand studied and earned a degree in business law from the University of Grenoble, France. He worked in international sales for several years in Europe, utilizing his knowledge of languages (he was fluent in seven languages and conversational in several others). While there, he met and fell in love with Maria Luisa Toran of Valencia, Spain. The couple married in Valencia in 1958, and moved to New York, where Mr. Ferrand was involved with international sales. The couple moved to Richmond, Va., in 1968, where Ferrand worked for the Reynolds Metals Company. During his time at the Reynolds Metals Company, Mr. Ferrand spent two years in Brussels, Belgium, handling European and African sales. He later moved to the James River Corporation, became its international transportation manager and worked there until his retirement in 1991. After the passing of his beloved wife, Mr. Ferrand traveled to San Juan Cosala, near Guadalajara, Mexico. He fell in love with the location and decided to move there in a mountain home overlooking Lake Chapala. There, he met Dixie Vaughns and they married in 2008. He is survived by Wife; son, Frederick Ferrand; daughter-in-law, Ellen Ferrand; and two grandchildren, Jennifer and William, all of Atlanta, Ga. Mr. Ferrand will be remembered for his strong intellect and his insightful and humorous company and conversation. His ashes will be buried, in a public service, at Westhampton Memorial Park, 10000 Patterson Avenue, on Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 2 p.m., where a short graveside service will take place.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.