Gerard T. Soldner

Gerard T. Soldner KINGSTON- Gerard T. Soldner, ‘Jerry,' passed away on March 27, 2013, at the Northern Dutchess Hospital. He was born in the Bronx on June 5, 1934 to Anna Cafarella and Philip J. Soldner. He Graduated from Fordham Prep in 1952 then Fordham College in 1956, with an AB degree in Economics, and married Doris V. Bridges on August 18, of that same year. He served as 1st Lieutenant in the Army Quartermaster Corps until 1958, when he commenced his business career with the Burroughs Corp, from 1958-1964 as manager of Market Planning. Next, he became Large Systems Consultant at RCA from 1964-1969, then , he became Manager of Strategy Integration, International Sector for GE, where he developed their ‘Japan Opportunity Study.' In 1975 he went with Rockwell International, where he became Vice President for Business Development, Electronics Operations, where he implemented the relations between Rockwell and the Korean Engineering and Manufacturing Co. He joined the GTE Corporation (now part of Verizon), as Vice President of Planning Sytems and Analysis in 1981, and from which he retired in 1997. After his retirement from 1997-199 he assumed the position of President and CEO of the Strategic Leadership Forum, an international society of over 4,000 business leaders, where he conferred the ‘Drucker Award' for leadersip to William ‘Bill' Bradley, Dick Cheney, and Colin Powell. Jerry was involved with a number of leading business and non-profit organization; The Council of Planning Executives of the Conference Board, Chapter President of the Metropolitan Area of the Planning Forum, the Strategic Leadership Forum, Strategy Consultant for the State of Conneticuit, Chairman, Fairfield County Economic Plan task Force/SACIA, and many others. He helped start and became President of the Kingston Uptown Residents Alliance, and was a member of the Kingston Strategic Plan committee for the city which he came to love. His passions also included teaching the CCD Confirmation class at St. John's Church in Woodstock, the collection of antiques and the restoration of vintage houses, and he had become an accomplished tinsmith, specializing in 19th century New Mexican artifacts. He has left behind to grieve aside from many cherished friends, his wife, Doris; his children, Marianne Soldner of Gaylordsville, Conn., Virginia and Joseph Constantino of Carmel, Rosemarie and Edward Nolan, of Fuquay Varina, N.C.; and grandchildren, Phillip Terrano, Genevieve Mulvaney, Nicholas Constantino, Brett and Marissa Nolan. Friends will be received Monday and Tuesday, 2 to 4 and 7to 9 p.m., at the lasher Funeral Home, Inc., 100 Tinker St., Woodstock. The funeral procession will form 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Funeral Home and proceed to St. Johns Church, Holly Hills, West Hurley, where at 10 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be sung. Burial will be in Gate of heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.