Dr. Gerald Jay Gleicher

Jan. 31, 1939 - Aug. 4, 2016

Breaking curfew was never a good idea for Gerald Gleicher's children. From the end of the cul-de-sac, one could see the porch light, the living room light and the chandelier in the stairwell from beyond the open front door. Drawing nearer, a figure could be seen sitting calmly on the front steps. Finally, upon stepping quickly from the friend's car, the late child heard the unmistakable sounds of a loud aria or overture. The stage was set for the master to pass judgment, although he never spoke harshly. He always claimed he simply couldn't sleep until we were all home safe and sound. Not one of his three children willingly broke curfew more than once, although he continued his vigil throughout the rest of his life, ending finally on Aug. 4, 2016.

Dr. Gerald Jay Gleicher was born on Jan. 31, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York to his parents David and Sadie (Mayer) Gleicher. He lived in Brooklyn during his youth, but commuted via subway to Manhattan to attend Stuyvesant High School. Perhaps his favorite teachers grew weary of his frequent pranks and elaborate lines of questioning; he graduated at the age of 16 in 1955. He earned his bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in 1959. His masters and doctoral (1963) degrees in chemistry were awarded from the University of Michigan. He did postdoctoral work at the University of Texas at Austin and Princeton University.

In 1966 he married the love of his life, Mary Katharine Schmidt, and they spent the next 45 years together raising their family until her death in 2011.

Jerry and Mary Kay headed to Oregon on their honeymoon where Jerry had accepted a faculty position in the Oregon State Chemistry Department. The couple settled in Corvallis and welcomed the arrival of Abby, Tom, and finally, James. The children were raised listening to creative stories, going to the beach for impromptu picnics, and gathering knowledge from his virtually inexhaustible stores of facts. Jerry loved to plan intricate gourmet dinners and the menus would span the globe, feasts pulled together from his large collection of cookbooks. Family, friends and many wayward graduate students were the grateful beneficiaries of his culinary genius.

Jerry was a lover of history and classical music. His sharp memory and laser wit could weave together the intricate history of any country in the Western Hemisphere, and he would often delve into his extensive music collection to score his impromptu lectures. He was an avid model railroader, and over his life he took over the better part of the two-car garage with a detailed layout of the New York, Wisconsin and Western railroad. The cities of the railroad were named after his family members, and many a friend can find themselves immortalized with their name and a pun-infused logo on one of the HO-scale businesses.

Late in life, Jerry made sure to establish a legacy of generosity. His philanthropy extended from small, local nonprofit organizations to national causes. His daily activities in recent years included frequent stops around town to drop off small donations and check in with the recipients. He truly loved doing this.

Jerry is survived by his brother Jules (Joan) Gleicher of Rockford, Illinois; his children Abby (Chuck) Britton of Tigard, Tom Gleicher of Portland, and James Gleicher of Corvallis; his nephews David Gleicher of Chicago, Illinois, Matt (Lianne) Schmidt of Renton, Washington, and his niece Meredith (Todd) Fisher of Dayton, Ohio. He doted on his two grandchildren, Vivian and Levi Britton. His parents and his wife predeceased him.

If you care to make a small donation to a charity of your choice, know that he would approve of your efforts and would tell you it's even more fun to do it in person.