I am very proud of my dad for taking care of my grandmother Edith for the last 5 years of her life. He sacrificed these years, that he could have spent in personal pleasure, to provide the best environment that he could for her. He planted flowers that she liked, took her for drives and out to eat, and visited with her to make her last few years truly excellent.

After my grandmother’s death in 2005, my dad cleaned up and sold his house and moved to my house in 2006. He helped me immensely to juggle taking care of my children and building my career. I am truly grateful for all of his help and sacrifice to help both me and my children. I am happy that he made the choice to come live with us. I believe it enriched all of our lives.

My dad always enjoyed outings and accompanied me and my children on several sailing trips to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico on the Williwaw (my Santana 22 sailboat). These were 2-day each way car trips with week-long sailing excursions where we slept on the boat whether under way or at anchor and went snorkeling and exploring on foot at anchorages. On one trip he did his first snorkeling and was in his first storm on a small boat (though at anchor). Un-daunted he went on to sail with me, my two children, and a neighbor boy (5 in all) on another such trip and then with just me on yet another. He was a genuine pleasure to have along on all three trips. We made a lot of wonderful memories and had a lot of deep discussions. 

To My Dad: The two things that I am most grateful to you for are the wonderful memories and the mechanical aptitude that you gave to me. Your presence in my life will continue to be missed but I am happy that I have so many wonderful memories to reflect on when that feeling of loss comes around. I will Love You and carry you in my heart and memories Always.


My earliest memories of my dad are of him working on the chimney of our house when I was 2 years old. 55 years later my dad was still working on fixing cars and things around the house (fence mending, toilet repair, etc.). My early memories of my father included him taking a camera on every outing and laboriously checking light levels with a meter. As with fixing, photography was a lifelong passion of my dad’s. Both were beneficial in different ways. Through “helping” him fix things I gained a lot of mechanical intuition and have been able to apply that to both my work and private life to both innovate and save money. Through his photography I have wonderful photo memories of my family including my kids. My dad diligently took pictures of everyone connected to him throughout his life, but I now realize that I didn’t take nearly enough pictures of him. My dad loved to share his photographs and his memories connected with them. 

My dad also loved the outdoors. My early memories of this were going huckleberry picking with him, my siblings, and my grandfather up on Mount Adams. We had an annual tradition of going up to lake Olallie on Mount Adams and camping, playing in the lake, making log rafts and such, and huckleberry picking/canning. This tradition we also carried on with him and my children. My dad was 85 on his last tent camping and huckleberry picking trip where he slept in his own tent and carted his oxygen concentrator around to pick huckleberries. We had another camping/picking trip planned when he was 87 but he decided he would rather take a road trip, another thing that he loved, and visit his Niece Linda Olds and her husband Lynn so that is what we did. I have very fond memories during my growing up of my dad taking us out on hikes or just to hang out in a forest near some running water. 


I have many memories of my father and many good times. I fondly remember going to Lake Olallie growing up and camping and using logs and making a giant raft to go out on the lake on. I got to fish from this very stable platform and even caught one. My Dad helped me clean it and everything. My Dad also had set up a shooting range in our basement so we could target practice with our .22rifle. My Dad bought me my first car a slightly munched Honda Civic in High School for pretty cheap and together we rebuilt the engine, partially straightened out the back hatch and installed a piece of plexiglass for a rear window and stuck a tail light in where there was none. 

My Dad could fix anything and everything and I credit him for my abilities to not be afraid to try anything. My Dad was not perfect but he was an amazingly intelligent man and a loving father.
I love and miss you Dad...

He was such a sweet caring and giving man like no one like him. He gave so much of his time to the young people of Lopezville!!! He was always there to give you a hand without expecting nothing in return but his best quality was he’s unconditional love for God’s word and sharing it with the people!!!! I have so much to be thankful he preached the word of God that’s how I got to know the Lord!!!!He will be missed so much!!!! Love you and May you Rest In Peace!!!!

Jerry was my best friend and I considered him part of my family. We met at Texas Southmost College and have kept in touch ever since. He was concerned about my kids and I and we would call to check on each other often. He was my guardian angel, because of him my kids and I are alive. He helped me and my kids through some tough times and I'm thankful for him being in my life.

One of my favorite memories of my dad is when I was about 7 years old in church.  We were singing the old hymn, "He Lives" and my dad was belting out the chorus at the top of his lungs. (Never mind that he could never carry a tune!) His motto was that God loved to hear a joyful noise from a heart of worship and he did that.  That evening I belted it out proudly beside him.  It felt like we were a duo praising God together.

Gerry,
One of the kindest and gentle souls I had the good fortune to meet.
As a teacher that impacted 100's of students, I give thanks that I was among one of those lucky students.
Good Christian man.
A very loving human being.
He is missed.
I know you're in heaven Gerry.
Say "Hi" to God for me.
Your friend,
Raquel

I have a lot of good memories of trips and adventures with my grandpa such as one of the times he went camping with us when my brother and I were very young. My dad let us go ahead with my grandpa while he was packing stuff up, and we got a bit turned around. I remember it was just a bit of an adventure for my brother and I because we were too young to understand the dangers of getting lost out there, especially since my dad had the camping gear. My grandpa must have been worried, but he kept his head on as he tried to figure out which way the road must be and navigated us there safely so we could hike along the road back to the car. Through the years we went on many camping trips with him up in Washington around Mount Adams where he shared his memories of huckleberry picking there as a kid as we all filled our own buckets with them (of course taste testing along the way). These trips were always so much fun, my brother and I learned how to whittle sticks with our pocketknives as my dad and grandpa gave us tips and advice on how to hold the knife and stick so we wouldn’t hurt ourselves. We would end our days with warm fires, roasting marshmallows, and just enjoying our evenings out in the wilderness together as a family.

Having grown up with my grandpa in my life and living with him for the last 14 years of his life, I knew him not only as someone who would always try to help others and bring a smile to their face, but also as someone who valued family and friends and was strong minded and independent. He held onto friendships and memories of the people he held dear. I think everyone could agree he had a good heart. For me, as his granddaughter, his “personal chauffeur” and eventually care giver, our relationship was not always simple, happy and smiley as it was when I was a kid, but it was certainly very close. We talked a lot and would have long discussions about life including everything from ethical dilemmas to what if the sky was purple. Sometimes our discussions were much more personal and difficult as they were about his health and related topics. This could be difficult, and we would occasionally have misunderstandings or get frustrated with each other, yet we always found a way to talk it out and come to an understanding and agreement. He grew to trust my judgement and trust that I would always discuss things with him so we could make a decision that he was comfortable with. This responsibility felt like a weight on my shoulders, yet I felt happy to have such a close relationship with him and that he trusted me that much. He made it known that he greatly appreciated everything I did, and for that I appreciated him. 

When I first moved into Jim's house with Jerry I was at a very low point in my life. I remember feeling really lost and I didn't know if I was strong enough to get through all the hurt that I had inside. I remember one time when I was feeling really sad Jerry or "Grandpa" as I called him noticed I wasn't feeling good and he said, "hey keep your head up. You’re a fighter and you’re going to be ok. Don't let anyone or anything bring you down. You’re stronger than you think you are". People had said that to me before but when he said it, I felt like he really understood the struggles I was going through, and he was sincerely rooting for me. Throughout the time that I got to spend with him I felt we understood each other and could appreciate each other. I would always laugh to myself when we would be alone, and he would ask me to sneak some cookies to him and I would tell him but it's not good for you and he'd give me a smile. It was like his little boy self was coming out to say hi. I also remember when I needed to replace my car’s wheel bearing. Grandpa sat outside with me all day directing me step by step to get all the parts off and put everything back together. I had never worked on a car before, but he was patient and kind and I remember being so proud that I did it. He was always willing to help. If he didn't know how to do something (which was rare) he would take the time to research and figure it out. I didn't have any grandfather figures in my life, and I was always grateful to get a taste of having one with him. He loved his family very much and he was always telling me stories about experiences with them. He would light up when sharing. I miss you Grandpa Jerry and thank you for all our talks and your friendship. You will be forever missed....

I met Mr. Brandt when I attended TSTI. He was one of the teachers I had in the Electronics program. I had been in this country for only 4 years and my English speaking skills were not very good; however, somehow I was able to communicate with my eyes so he knew when I was lost and he would go over the material again. Every time I got discouraged and wanted to quit school, he encouraged me to not give up. He took the time to come with a group of students that came to interview with different companies in Houston and Austin. Knowing that at the time I had some physical limitations, he suggested that the best place for me to work would be Motorola. He must have given a pretty good recommendation for me because I got hired. I believe that teachers touch lives and help mold students dreams, Mr. Brandt was one of those molder of dreams in my life.  Mr. Brandt believed in Jesus Christ, His resurrection and His soon return and since I believe the same, I know I will see him again at the second coming of Jesus. He will be greatly missed.

OBITUARY

Gerald Brandt

May 22, 1932 – November 20, 2020

Lima Family Milpitas-Fremont Mortuary and Cedar Lawn Cemetery

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