Gerald "Jerry" Henry Klein, Jr., 77, passed away peacefully on December 5 after a hard fought battle with cancer. Jerry was born October 23, 1946 in Akron, OH to Gerald Henry Klein, Sr. and Mary Kay (Knapp) Klein. Jerry was a proud 1968 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and bled blue and gold! While working at Akron City Hospital, he completed his Master's in Accounting from the University of Akron. He married the love of his life, Elaine Smith, on June 7, 1969.
He is deeply missed by his devoted wife, Elaine, of 54 1/2 years, daughters Brenda (Nathan) Young of Grandview Heights, OH, Rita (Chris) Taylor of Champaign, IL, and Becky (Jimmy) Hinkel of Baltimore, OH. Throughout their athletic careers, Jerry was the loudest supporter of his girls at all their sporting events. His 8 grandsons brought him so much joy and he loved talking about all things Notre Dame or hearing their latest sports stories. Talking to his grandsons, Jackson and Zachary Young, Jason Taylor, and Edward, Caleb, Ethan, Will and Adam Hinkel, some of his final words were "I'm so blessed!", and he told each of them that he would be watching them at every event. Jerry was a dear brother to his sisters, Mary Kay (Frank) Danckaert and Maribeth (Guerrino) Rich and numerous sisters- and brothers-in-law. He also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews.
He was a proud US Army Veteran and a long standing member of the Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus. He spent most of his career as a Chief Financial Officer helping critical access hospitals.
After retirement, he enjoyed volunteering at St Augustine Soup Kitchen, working in the Holy Cross Village (HCV) garden, leading the clothing drive at HCV, and assisting with Mass at St Joseph Chapel. He loved his grandsons sporting events or concerts, walking to the Grotto, reading, watching ND sports, and enjoyed any time the family could gather together. He enjoyed coffee and chocolate and weekly chats with the Grumpy Old Men's club. He always talked about how much his dad would have loved knowing his daughters and we are so thankful for the time he had with all of his grandsons. As a resident of Holy Cross Village, he seasonally and gleefully reminded his daughters that he no longer had to shovel snow, mow the grass, or rake leaves.
He was preceded in death by his parents Gerald and Mary Kay Klein and Elaine's parents, Clement and Alice Smith.
Funeral services will be held on December 12, 2023 with a rosary at 1:45pm, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 2:00pm at St. Joseph Chapel at Holy Cross College, 54515 SR 933N, South Bend, IN 46556 and interment at Cedar Grove Cemetery on Notre Dame campus. There will be a dessert social at HCV in Geenan Hall from 4:00-5:30pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to:
Holy Cross Village Foundation, 54515 SR 933N, South Bend, IN 46556
Brothers of Holy Cross, Attn: Brother Roy Smith CSC, Midwest Province, PO Box 460, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0460
University of Notre Dame, 1100 Grace Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
St. Augustine Soup Kitchen, 1501 W. Washington St., South Bend, IN 46628

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