Gerald W. Browning

Jerry left us on Sunday, July 19, 2020 from complications due to stroke and cancer. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Linda Browning, and two daughters, Mary Holman and Karen Browning, son-in-laws, Jimmy Holman and Ralph Cutler, and 6 grandchildren, Joe Holman, Jazmyn Holman, Devlyn Holman, Robert Holman, Gus Cutler and Lucian Cutler. His sisters Cecile Nusbaum and Ann Masters live in St. Augustine, FL, and his step-brother Jimmy Browning lives in Ponte Vedra, FL. His cousins Ginger and Joe Cuthbert live in Palm Coast, FL.

Jerry was born in St. Augustine, FL to William and Florence Browning in 1949. He married Linda Messervey in 1968, before enlisting in the Navy and traveling to Orlando for boot camp. He spent the next 22 years in the Navy traveling to far off places like New Jersey, Italy, Spain, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Egypt and Key West. After retiring from the Navy, he and Linda settled into Port St John, where he worked as a MATCO tool distributor. For 15 years, he drove around the Space Coast in a big tool truck that his grandkids all loved, mostly because he kept buckets of candy inside the door.

Jerry was close to his family, a loving man, who would listen to family members without judgement. He loved dogs, and had at least one most of his life. He also loved fishing and being out on a boat. For years, “Fred” the blue marlin he caught in the Florida Keys hung on the living room wall as a reminder of the big one he caught. He always had a knack for fixing things. His grandmother used to tell a story about how he would take apart her old rotary phone and reassemble it just to see how it worked. He liked to watch car races, especially NASCAR, but generally enjoyed anything that involved wheels and an engine.

Because of the coronavirus, the family is not planning a memorial at this time, but hope to plan something later when it’s safe to gather family and friends to remember and celebrate Jerry’s life. In lieu of flowers, if you want to do something to honor Jerry’s memory, please consider donating to the Florida Shriners Hospital for Children, the American Cancer Society or the Humane Society.