Donald Gere

Donald Dean Gere passed away peacefully on February 17, 2019 after a long battle with heart disease and diabetes. Don was born on July 12, 1944 in Rapid City, South Dakota and grew up in Nebraska graduating from Kimball County High School in 1962. After attending Chadron State College, he taught in a country school for a few years, ranched on a large cattle ranch outside Cody, Nebraska and managed a car wash in Denver, Colorado. For most of his career he was an "overgrown paperboy" working as a District Manager for the Rocky Mountain News before taking over the distributorship in Broomfield, Colorado in 1978 until he retired over 25 years later. Don enjoyed almost anything with an engine but especially trains & street rods. He built several street rods including a 1937 Packard that carried him all over the US and into Canada for vacations, rod runs and car shows. When he and his car club added matching retro camper trailers to pull behind their cars, they were quite a sight going down the highway. He is survived by his wife Saundra (or Lee as most know her), step-daughters Tammy (John) Cryer and Jennifer Mettler; sons Scott (Christina) Gere and Mathew Gere and their mother Karen Gere; sister Bonnie Hoffman; step-father Arley Engelsgaard; step-sister Martha (Darold) Mapes; grandchildren Harley Palmer, Rebekah (Kenny) Anderson, Courtney Sheffer & Jade Gere; great grandchildren Mary, Jaxson and Talim Palmer, Nevaeh Martin, Caiden Filer and Bladeyn Hill; nieces and nephews Brad (Debbie) Crowe, Brian Crowe, Brenda Crowe, Cody (Jennifer) Doerfler-Hoffman. He was preceded in death by his parents Clara Arlene Branson and Ned Loy Gere, sister Janice Kay Gere, step-sister Norma (Larry) Busch and infant son Kenneth John Gere. Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday June 15, 2019 at 10:30AM at Darrell Howe Mortuary located at 1701 W. South Boulder Road, Lafayette, Colorado. Summer picnic to follow at Interlocken Park East located at 280 Interlocken Boulevard in Broomfield, Colorado. Don, Donny, Dad, Daddy Don, Uncle Don, Grandpa - we love and miss you.