Gerald P. "Jerry" Simkins

Gerald P. Simkins "Jerry" died on January 6, 2026. He was 89 years old. Jerry was born in Bend, Oregon, the third son of Walter Jerome and Helen Marie Simkins.

He grew up with his three brothers, Ron, John, and Dennis and early on was nicknamed Buzz - a nickname his family has used ever since. Together the boys worked on their father's turkey farms in California and Oregon. Predawn pen cleaning and daily chores gave him an amazing work ethic, one that served him his whole life. He so enjoyed relaying stories about his life on the farm and riding his favorite pony.

As a young man, he moved east and bought The Patio Drive-in in Northeast, PA, a favorite 60's pit stop for travelers along I-90. He met his future wife, Mary, through an ecumenical church gathering and they married in 1972 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Together they worked the drive-in grilling burgers, mixing coleslaw and making chocolate fudge sundaes, Mary's favorite. He later sold the drive-in and reinvented himself once again as a salesman with New York Life. He was a very successful and admired salesman. In the late 80's, Jerry and Mary moved to Walnut Creek, California, where he joined Lincoln Financial.

Throughout his life, Jerry was an avid golfer. He loved the game, the opportunity to play with friends and family, and the ease of the outdoor stage to deliver his favorite "Murphy" jokes.

Jerry and Mary loved to travel and visited Hawaii, Ireland and other beautiful locations over the years, many times as a reward for another fantastic sales year with Lincoln Financial. After joining family for a vacation in Sarasota, Florida, Jerry and Mary decided to retire to Sarasota in the early 90s. There they played plenty of golf and adopted their sweet Maltese, Rascal, who traveled back and forth with them to Charlotte and in summers, back to Erie. In the late 90s they moved to the Carolina mountains settling in Traveler's Rest, South Carolina and then Hendersonville, North Carolina, close by Jerry's brother John and his wife Beryl and just a few hours from their niece Gwenn and her family. Their mountain years were filled with golfing, hiking to waterfalls, and traveling to see plenty of their grand-nieces' soccer games, piano recitals and band concerts. Later, the warm weather of Florida called them once again and they moved to The Villages. Jerry and Mary enjoyed the endless activities, concerts and events The Villages had to offer all while tooling around in their mint-green golfcart (affectionately named "Little Rascal") before moving one last time to Charlotte, North Carolina to be close to Gwenn and her family. He and Mary moved to Waltonwood Senior Living in Charlotte where the Waltonwood community lovely embraced them for the following ten years.

Though Mary and Jerry did not have children of their own, their love and attention to their grandnieces, Katie, Elizabeth, Meghan and Emily, went beyond the bonds usually expected of a great aunt and great uncle. Mary and Jerry attended dozens of dance and piano recitals, soccer tournaments, and graduations and never missed a Christmas or Thanksgiving with the family. Jerry's turkey gravy was unmatched along with his appetite for Starbucks mocha lattes. In Jerry's final years, he enjoyed playing pool and eating ice cream with his great grand-nephew, Lincoln.

Jerry loved people above all and will be remembered for his inability to ever take a bad picture. His awesome smile together with his core belief of being truly present for every moment we are given on Earth, as described by Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now, will stay with everyone lucky enough to have known him.

Uncle Jerry, as he was affectionately called, was preceded in death by brothers, Ron and Dennis; and his soulmate Mary, his beloved collaborator in all their adventures.

He is survived by his brother, John (wife, Beryl) of Copperopolis, California; and sister-in-law, Charlene Simkins of Tillamook, Oregon. True to his "Uncle Jerry" moniker, Jerry is survived by a host of nieces and nephews stretching across the nation from Washington and California to New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Mary's family, niece, Gwenn Freeman (husband, Tom) of Charlotte North Carolina, nephew, Charles Bool, (wife, Diana) of Erie, Pennsylvania, and their daughters and sons-in-law will host a celebration of life at St. Mark the Evangelist Church, 695 Smithson Avenue, Erie, PA 16511 on Saturday, February 14th, at 10 am. Happy trails Uncle Jerry, you are lovingly missed.