Gerald Joseph George

Gerald Joseph George 10/20/16 to 11/22/11 Gerald Joseph George was born on October 20, 1916 in El Centro, California to Neras Mohamad Alli of Afghanistan and Regina Oliver of Louisiana. The family name was changed to George in later years. His siblings who passed before him included his sister Ramona, and his brothers Frank and Albert. His father was a farmer so Gerald grew up working in the family business which included a variety of chores including working in the fields. It was hard work and times were difficult but since they were in the country, far from town, they learned how to do everything for themselves. This served him well throughout his life as he learned to be a jack of all trades and was able to handle anything including carpentry, electricity, plumbing and auto mechanics. His early education was in El Centro, however, his family re-located to Los Angeles and he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School. He was drafted on March 2, 1943 to serve in the 92nd Division during World War II. He was a squad leader in Infantry and the Air Corp. He served most of his time in Italy earning the American Theater Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon, Good Conduct medal and the World War II Victory medal. He was honorably discharged on November 28, 1945. After his discharge he worked as an auto mechanic for a couple of years until he heard about an opportunity with the Los Angeles Fire Department. He was hired on October 27, 1947 to be part of the initial crew of one of the two all Black fire stations located on South Central Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Gerald put his life on the line several times fighting fires in the L.A. area which included everything from neighborhoods, apartment buildings, and hotels to major brush fires. He sometimes had to be away from his family for several days while he risked his life to do his job. He retired from the fire department on December 24, 1967. During his years as a fireman he moonlighted as a dump truck driver hauling material which was used in the construction of many freeways here in Southern California. After he retired from the fire department, he worked full time in his owner operated dump trucking business. In 1992, at the age of 76, he retired from the trucking business. During the retirement years, with the help of his son, Michael, he remained active by working on his pick-up truck and maintaining his house which included well manicured lawns and beautiful roses. These were the same activities he had handled during his free time when he worked over 40 hours most weeks. Retirement also gave him time to watch his favorite basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers and to give praise for his favorite player on the team – Kobe Bryant. His mother, Regina "Nutsy" Oliver was one of 7 daughters and one son. The family produced lots of cousins over the years whose descendants live across the country with a large population still in the Los Angeles county area. He has remained close to his relatives all of these years and they all referred to him as "Uncle Gerald". He has been married to Jearilene "Jerri" over 50 years and he leaves behind their two children John Michael Henley and Marilyn Marie George. He is also survived by his niece Marcia Livingston and her children Brent Livingston and Kirsten Jenkins and her family including her husband Alan Jenkins and their two girls Maya and Khari. His wife Jerri was a registered nurse when they met. She graduated from St. John's Hickey Memorial Hospital of Anderson, Indiana in 1950. She took some time off to raise their children during the formative years and then returned to nursing in the late 60's. She retired from nursing in 1994. Their son Michael, who resides in San Fernando, has had various jobs in gardening and landscaping and has worked over 10 years for the Los Angeles Unified School District where he is currently employed in this capacity. Their daughter Marilyn graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1981. She has worked for a variety of companies related to the medical insurance business as an auditor and is currently an Audit Manager for a division of Blue Cross of Florida located in Camarillo, California. Gerald built the family home, where the family still lives, in 1959 with the help of some of his fireman friends and neighbors. The house has survived two major earthquakes - Sylmar quake in 1971 and Northridge quake in 1994 - with minimal structural damage thanks to how he meticulously planned the construction. He worked hard all of his life to provide everything for his family. His attitude was always do it right the first time and you will not have to fix it later. Gerald was a good neighbor, a good friend, and a role model to everyone who met him. He left us on November 22, 2011 when he passed away peacefully at his family home. He will be missed deeply by his wife, children, family and friends.