Gerard Jerry Charles Contreras

Upon graduation from high school, Jerry moved to Tucson and enrolled at the

U of A. He joined a fraternity and acquired many life-long friendships. A few years later he landed an incredible job opportunity with the federal government in civil service that would eventually take him,and his wife Carol, to several different airbases statewide and to the Netherlands and Spain. Jerry married the love of his life, Carol Ahern, on September 26, 1981.

Jerry and Carol began his career journey immediately following their wedding. They made their first move to Merced, California where he worked in commissary store management at Castle AFB until1983. While there he met his best friend, Hector Lopez. It seemed like “Wherever Hector went, Jerry followed”, actually it was happenstance, he truly considered him his best friend. Pat, his wife, was also a very good friend to Jerry and Carol. Their next move was to Hill AFB in Layton, Utah. Their eldest son Brian was born that year.

Their next move came with a transfer to an AFB in Soesterberg, the Netherlands. They were there for 3 years and their other son Kevin was born there. Jerry was then transferred to Torrejon AFB in Spain where he worked for two more years. His next move was stateside to Mesa, Arizona in 1990 where he accepted another commissary management position at Williams AFB. They were back in town and near their family. The year 1993 meant another move, it was to Ft. Irwin, an army base near Barstow in California, for seven years and yet another move to March AFB near Riverside for 8 years. His final move came in 2008 when he was transferred to Malmstrom AFB until 2018 in Great Falls, Montana. He enjoyed all of his moves wherever he landed. He never in his life met a stranger! Jerry retired after a wonderful career in civil service commissary management for 40 years.

Jerry is survived by his wife Carol, his sons Brian (Kelle) and Kevin of Adelanto and Helendale, California, his grandchildren, two sets of twins, Rhiannon and Konnor, and Ainsley and Lorelei Contreras, and his mother-in-law Lillie Ahern, his sister and brother-in-law Irene and Jorge Gaytan, several nieces and nephews, and cousins that he loved so very much! He was preceded in death by his sister, the first Renee, his mother and father, and most recently, his sister, Eva.

Jerry was very much loved and well regarded by all of his family and friends throughout his lifetime! He will be sorely missed!