Gerald Arnold Lempka Sr.

He was the devoted husband of the late Denise Lempka, loving Father of Gerald Lempka, Jr. and wife Allison, Timothy Lempka, Jason Lempka and wife Susanne. He was the celebrated Grandfather of Andrew Lempka, Jordan Thompson and husband Ryan, Derek Pentz, Casey Lempka, Harry Lempka, Emily Lempka, Sarah Lempka, Tristan Lempka and Marshall Lempka. Great grandchildren include Bode Higgins, Colton and Rhett Thompson. He is survived by his brother Kenneth Lempka of Lincoln, NE and predeceased by sister Patricia Jones, brother Francis Lempka, daughter in law Suzanne Lempka and great granddaughter Benni Schneider.

Born in 1936 in Tecumseh, NE to Frank and Mary, he spent his formative years there until his high school graduation in 1954. He then moved to Lincoln, NE to attend UNL graduating in 1959 with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. While at the university he developed a love for the marching band in which he avidly played the trumpet. Later in life he continued his education and obtained a Masters Degree in Government Contract Administration. After college, he enlisted in the US Navy and was admitted to Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. After graduating in 1960, he received his commission as an Ensign, USN. While attending OCS he met and married the love of his life, Denise. They remained married for 48 years until her passing in 2009. A true Officer and a Gentleman.

He spent the next 27 years in the Navy at a variety of duty stations in the US and overseas. Duty stations at sea included the participation in the 1962 Cuban Quarantine Operations while stationed on the USS Decatur (DD-936). His final duty station was in New Orleans as Commanding Officer of the Defense Contract Management Agency where he oversaw the government contract to build the external fuel tanks used on the space shuttles. He also oversaw the National Strategic Petroleum Reserve stored in underground caverns around the Gulf Coast.

After retiring from the Navy and settling in Bel Air, MD, he pursued a second career working for NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center where he was instrumental in procuring parts for the Cassini Spacecraft probe. He permanently retired in 2001 and spent his remaining years traveling, being a doting grandfather, attending football and baseball games and gardening. He was a deeply religious man belonging to St. Margaret's Catholic Church serving as an usher, reader and lay Eucharistic minister. He will always be thought of as a Christian, Nebraska Corn Husker, Sailor, Husband, Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather. We wish our beloved sailor "Fair Winds and Following Seas".

A funeral mass for Gerald will be held Monday, August 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Saint Ignatius Catholic Church (Historic), 533 E Jarrettsville Rd, Maryland, MD 21050. Following the funeral mass will be an interment at 12:45 PM at Harford Memorial Gardens, 3839 Aldino Rd, Aberdeen, MD 21001.