Gerald E. Brockhurst

In loving memory of Gerald Edmund Brockhurst who passed away on July 24, 2019 at the age of 76 after a brief illness. Jerry, a resident of Annapolis, Maryland for the past 20 years lived a life that embraced the Catholic faith. Jerry was the only child born to Frances Tanguay Brockhurst and Edmund Harrington Brockhurst in Montclair, New Jersey. Jerry grew up in West Chester, Pennsylvania and attended Cornell University in an ROTC program. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He was commissioned in the Air Force after graduation and served 3 1/2 years active duty; he remained in the Air Force reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel for more than 20 years. He earned his Master of Business Administration from NYU.

In 1987, he married Marie Haxton and they lived in Arlington, Virginia while both were working for MCI. In 1989, they moved to Chicago to join a telecommunications start-up company; they remained in Chicago for ten years and then moved to Annapolis to live on the water. He thoroughly enjoyed boating, whether it was sail or power. He spent his free time in the outdoors where he biked, camped, hiked and sailed. He also was a dedicated technologist, attending the Consumer Electronic Show annually and reading and learning about new technologies. With two partners, he founded an online retail business to offer consumers energy efficiency and emergency preparedness products. Jerry was recognized as one of the top telecom executives in the country by Telephony Magazine in 1991.

Jerry was not one to sit idly by as he took any opportunity to embark on new adventures with his family such as taking a flight to explore a new city over a 3-day weekend. He always made sure to read a city’s local paper to find out “The Doings” of that particular city so he could take part. One favorite family destination was Sun Valley, Idaho. Jerry returned from there just two weeks before his passing. On that trip, he went to an ice- skating show, a rodeo, and a dog dock jumping contest. In Sun Valley he attended his last mass at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church on July 7, 2019.

Jerry loved his family dearly and had the good fortune of being able to instill and nurture good values while having family fun and lots of laughs. Seeing his children graduate from their schools made him quietly proud. Jerry has left behind a wide variety of friends, some of whom date back to his childhood. He would never miss the breakfast club at Gus’s or pass up a beer with a friend. These many friends will raise a glass to Jerry, a kind man of devout faith.

He is survived by Marie, his wife of 32 years, his beloved children Jacqueline, Lauren, and Keith; as well as two cousins, Phil Walker and Susan Walker. There will be a memorial service on July 30th at 10:30 am at St Mary’s Church in Annapolis. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Jerry’s honor to The Key School, 534 Hillsmere Dr, Annapolis, MD 21403.