Jerry Gordon Wern Sr.

Jerry Gordon Wern Sr., 90, of Clarkston, passed away March 12, 2025, following a short illness. The beloved patriarch and dedicated family man will be remembered for his mischievous smile, colorful catchphrases and love of classic cars.

Born on August 6, 1934, to Jacob and Letha Wern in Goodrich, Mich., and raised in Pontiac, Jerry developed an early penchant for mischief. As a boy, he often bucked authority, throwing tomatoes at passing police cruisers and joyriding in his father’s Dodge.

At 17 years old, Jerry dropped out of Pontiac High School – just two weeks before graduation – for a union job at General Motors. He spent the next 47 years working for the company in various roles, elevating from the assembly line to foreman and, ultimately, a test driver.

That career suited a man fueled by adrenaline, who spent much of his youth drag racing down Woodward Avenue for cash prizes and pink slips. A slew of speeding tickets, and an occasional arrest, never deterred the hobby.

His new bride, Nancy Hurley, soon joined him in the passenger seat of his 1955 Chevy Bel Air. They met after Jerry crashed her high school graduation with a group of friends, then demanded a date.

The couple raised three children together. For many years, Jerry worked two jobs to support the family, pulling double duty delivering newspapers before heading to his midnight shift at the Milford proving grounds. There, he test drove GM’s latest models, pushing the vehicles past 150 mph on a winding track – no doubt pretending to be the famous racecar drivers he so admired.

Legend has it that Jerry overlapped with Johnny Cash, then just an aspiring musician, at the Pontiac auto plant during the 1950s. He recalled Cash being a lazy employee who was “always strumming that goddamn guitar.” Cash insisted that he would make it big, but Jerry was admittedly skeptical.

(Relatives could never independently verify such stories, but choose to believe them all the same. The dates do add up!)

In 1973, Jerry suffered the biggest heartbreak of his life. A car crash, just minutes away from their home, robbed him of his 9-year-old son, Jerry Jr.

He and Nancy sought refuge on a vacation property Up North, in Hillman, where their girls swam on Lake Avalon and attended annual parades. That small parcel of land later became a frequent summer destination for their grandchildren, who formed countless happy memories trekking through the woods for blueberries and sunbathing on the dock.

During the fall deer hunting season, Jerry hosted a rotating group of men at the property to drink beer and, once in blue moon, actually shoot something. A prized buck remains mounted on his wall in the den.

But the garage at home in Clarkston was truly his haven, where for decades he played mechanic for buddies, chain smoking tobacco out of a pipe as they traded stories and told dirty jokes – blissfully out of earshot from the women. He stayed out there so long on weekends that Nancy took to lobbing potatoes at the garage door, so he knew when to come inside for dinner.

For years after his retirement, Jerry dressed each day in his baby blue GM uniform shirt, his name embroidered on the lapel. He regularly attended auto shows and rarely missed the annual Woodward Dream Cruise, where he could admire the classics alongside his grandson.

In his later years, Jerry could be found in his red armchair, watching NASCAR, nibbling on chocolate peanut butter cups and mumbling sassy quips under his breath. His chubby dog, Susan, dutifully snuggled at his feet.

Jerry passed peacefully last week with loved ones surrounding his hospital bed and holding Nancy’s hand. They were due to celebrate 70 years of marriage in May.

He was preceded in death by his parents, son and younger sister, Verna Michaels. In addition to his loving wife, Jerry is survived by his two daughters, Sheryl (Jack) Green and Colleen (Tom) Sawyer; four grandchildren: Jonathon (Megan) Sawyer, Kathleen (Ryan) Ranguette, Elizabeth (Aaron) Lavinsky, and Brent Green; great-grandchildren Olivia and Ozzy Ranguette; twin Mary (Leroy) Olsabeck and sister Eunice (Bob) Barr.

Visitation services will be held Saturday, March 22, 2025 from 10:00am ahead of the Funeral Service at 11:00am at Family Funeral Care, 2904 Orchard Lake Road, Keego Harbor. Interment to follow at Ottawa Park Cemetery, Clarkston.