Gerard "Jerry" Fernandez Jr.

Mr. Fernandez celebrated over 66+ years with the law firm Hawkins, Delafield, & Wood LLP in New York City, the largest public finance boutique law firm in the country, established in 1854. He started in late 1950 following his graduation from St. John’s University Law School, the school’s first graduate to receive an offer from a Wall Street firm. He was an associate for 10 years, made partner in 1960 and was one for 34 years and at the age of 70 became of counsel for 22+ years starting in 1994.

For more than a third of the firm’s history, “Jerry”, as he was known by his colleagues and industry peers, played a major role in maintaining and growing the firm’s practice and reputation. He helped build up many of the firm’s areas of practice, either in the role of bond counsel or underwriters’ counsel. These areas include housing, healthcare facilities, educational facilities, transportation facilities, power facilities, economic development, water resource facilities, resource recovery facilities, solid waste facilities, and bank counsel. He worked with a team of Hawkins colleagues as bond counsel for New York City’s financial crisis in the mid-1970s. Among a number of states to which he provided some form of public finance counsel, he helped with a major expansion of the firm’s practice in Maine. In the mid-1960’s he went to Augusta, the state’s capitol, to possibly be retained as counsel on one piece of business and came back with three, which resulted in the creation and successful development of 3 new state agencies. This grew into additional business opportunities and into multi-decade relationships with state leaders in Maine.

One of Jerry’s favorite areas of practice was the opportunity to draft enabling legislation for various public projects, three of which are the New York Housing Development Corporation, Maine State Housing Authority and Home Stadium of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Jerry will be remembered as an exceptional attorney and businessman.

Jerry grew up in Bellmore on Long Island during the Great Depression, served in the Navy in World War II-Pacific Theatre, and participated in the post-war occupation of Japan. Following his honorable discharge from the Navy as Lieutenant JG, he returned to school to finish his undergraduate studies, and graduated from Brown University in late 1946.

Starting in 1969, during the summer he would commute on weekends between New York and his summer residence in Maine to spend them with his beloved wife, Beverly, a native of Maine. Eventually, he moved to Florida in December 2017, a little more than a year after Beverley died in November of 2016and his subsequent retirement in June of 2017.

He is survived by his son, Bruce Fernandez; granddaughters Amber Arbital, Brittani Manock and Courtney Fernandez, and his great-granddaughter Taylor Arbital.

The family will receive friends Friday, May 12, 2023, at Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home, 90 Weathersfield Avenue, Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714. Visitation will be between 4 and 6 pm, followed by a memorial service at 6 pm. A celebration of life service will be held at 6 pm with a reception to follow at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be made to Tunnel to Towers - t2t.org, Folds of Honor Patriot Guard Riders,American Brother Foundation, or America's VetDogs-K9's for Warriors.