Gerald "Jerry Vance" Allen Van Amburgh

Gerald A. Van Amburgh

"Jerry Vance"

Born August 25, 1934

Died May 17, 2022

My dear Father was born in Niles, Ohio in August 1934. His mother, Beulah McFadden, and Gerald A Van Amburgh moved to California in 1939. My Grandparents sent my Father to Military boarding school upon arrival. He became an expert equestrian, marksman, and infantryman thus beginning a life-long love of horses with a brilliant equestrian aptitude and a love for the military. In his teen years, he went to Jordan High School in Long Beach, California. There he met my mother Marlene E. Basham and they were married in 1954. My Father joined the United States Army and served with honor during the Korean War. He was injured by a Chinese soldier while tending his woulds. He served with the Airborne Regimental Combat Team, Unit 11 as a Combat Medic. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Senior Jump Wings, Senior Combat Medic Badge, and Second Award. He was a very proud soldier, prouder still to represent the United States of America.

Upon returning to the States with my Mother (pregnant with me) he became a Hollywood Stuntman. A very good friend suggested he change his name. This friend was John Wayne. he was quick to let him know Van Amburgh was too long and complicated for the Hollywood types! So he said "how about "Jerry Vance". And the name stuck! Dad did most of the dangerous horse, wagon, and stagecoach stunts, and coordination of stunts for the Duke's pictures. He was also the driver for Bruce Lee in the Green Hornet series, Bruce never did learn to how to drive, he also coordinated and doubled the leads in The Batman series, he doubled for Don Adams in Get Smart, Don Knotts in his motion pictures and one of my favorites he worked in all of the group scenes, fight scenes and horse scenes in History of the World, part 2 with Mel Brooks. There are too many to mention here but I had to mention some of his favorites. Being a Stuntman wasn't just what he did, it was most certainly who he was. For the last 15 years, I have been privileged and honored to live with Daddy and he told me many stories about his days in the "Picture business". Some of the young "punks" he worked with, ones he had to teach to fight/fall, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and one he taught to drive, he was still sad about this young man, gone too soon, James Dean.

My father was my best friend, my mentor, my confidant, and solver of all the world's problems and all of you who knew him for more than 30 seconds know, he never met a stranger! He was selfless to a fault. He is survived by myself Carrie I Van Amburgh and my partner JD Humberson, my brother and his wife John and Susan Van Amburgh and their sons; Cody and Vance Van Amburgh; My Daughter and her husband' Caitria and Aaron Haber; My Son and is Wife Michael and Mandy Cogan and their three children, (Daddy's great-grandchildren), Sean, David, and Anna Cogan; Aunt Rae-Ann, Jane and Marv LaRue, Christie, Danny and Ric S. Duff . As well as the hundreds of children and adults who called him Uncle Jerry.

To my mind, there will never be a better man, no one as handsome, charming, kind, or generous as my Daddy. No one had a better hug or was more generous of heart.

Somehow I know you're flying high with the angels. Please keep helping me garden and pulling those weeds so I don't fall down the hill Daddy.

Hug Momma, Uncle Lee and Gramma too. We will see you again one day. I will love you each and every day, until then.

Gerald lived a full exciting life! and here are some more details about it!

Gerald also know from the entertainment business as Jerry Vance (this was his stuntman name) Named by the late, great, John Wayne saying Gerald Van Amburgh was way too formal for the business! He was right! Jerry Vance is very cool! He was a stuntman and know for his more popular roles in "Get Schlitzed at the Circus" this was a commercial for Schlitz Beer in 1967, he was also in the film "Caprice" where he doubled for Miss Doris Day in the first High Fall (ever)! He was launched out of a 7 story window. His fall was into a pile of cardboard and a few mattresses they found lying around the studio, Gerald was never critically injured as a stuntman! He was one of the first in the show business. Gerald also served in the Military as a Specialist 2nd Class Technician in the US Army during the Korean war period.

He is survived by his daughter Carrie, which was her hero and a master at his craft, He will always be one of the first Stuntmen before people even knew they existed! She is so proud of his accomplishments. She is so proud of his service in the United States Army fighting in Korea. She loves him and misses him every day of her life.