Gerald was born and raised in Quitman, Texas, the youngest of 3 children. His father died when Gerald was only 4 years old. Due to this, his mother was forced to go to work, finding a job in the cafeteria of the elementary school. With nowhere for Gerald to go, the principal agreed to allow him to start first grade at only 4 years old, stating that "if he can keep up, he can stay". Well, he kept up and pressed on to graduate from Quitman High School at the age of 16. During high school he lettered in football.
After high school, Gerald moved to Dallas where he worked for EF Hutton as a bookkeeper. While working there, he was transferred to Beaumont where he became a stock broker in 1964. After being transferred back to Houston, he became interested in cars and left EF Hutton and went to work for Cunill Motors in the late 1960s.
All his life, Gerald worked and he worked hard. That's what he did and that's what he loved to do, especially once he started his own company, Rushing Auto Sales in 1982, where he turned his passion for cars into a lifelong lucrative business. He was known to have a heart of gold and deep pockets for friends and family. He enjoyed a good game of Black Jack and shooting dice. Gerald always enjoyed taking his boat out. He especially loved to travel to different countries to fish.
Gerald leaves behind his loving wife Carol, children Craig Rushing and wife Gwen and Lisa Nagy and husband Darren, grandchildren Christopher Briles and wife Traci, Rachel Nagy and Evan Nagy, Great grandchildren, Cody Briles and Makenzie Briles, sister Rosa Rushing Smith, numerous other family members. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Maurice Rushing.