Gerard J. Jonas Jr.

Gerard J. “Jerry” Jonas, Jr., a Marine Corps veteran, advertising man, sports promoter, newspaper columnist, parish volunteer, and tireless advocate for fellow veterans, died peacefully on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, surrounded by his family. He was 95 and lived in Levittown.

Jerry’s life ranged widely across the civic and cultural landscape of greater Philadelphia: from the battlefields of Korea to the technical writing rooms of the early space program; from beer advertising and sports promotions to parish basements, CYO ballfields, newspaper columns, and veterans’ outreach tents.

Through it all ran a durable set of loyalties — to family, faith, neighborhood, the Marine Corps, Philadelphia sports, the written word, and above all to Betty McDevitt, the girl he first noticed on a Kensington stoop when he was 14 and decided, right then and there, that he would someday marry.

He did. After his military service, Jerry returned to Philadelphia, married Betty, and with her settled in Levittown, buying the house in which they would spend the rest of their lives and raise six children.

Gerard J. Jonas, Jr. was born in Philadelphia to Gerard J. Jonas, Sr. and Mary Jonas, née Dillon. He graduated from Northeast Catholic High School for Boys and La Salle University. Years later, North Catholic inducted him into its Hall of Fame for his contributions to media arts, an honor that reflected both his professional accomplishments and his lifelong connection to the school that helped shape him.

During the Korean War, Jerry enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served in combat, earning a battlefield promotion to sergeant. His service remained one of the defining facts of his life, not only as a source of pride, but as a bond with generations of veterans he would later work to help.

His working life moved through several chapters, each marked by energy, imagination, and a gift for communication. He directed a technical writing group that contributed to the early national space program, first at the Martin Company and later at General Electric.

He later became head of advertising for Ballantine Beer, where his work brought him into lasting contact with Philadelphia’s major sports teams and many of the city’s sports personalities. Those relationships grew into friendships and helped anchor the next phase of his career.

After leaving Ballantine in the early 1970s, Jerry ran his own advertising and sports promotions business until his retirement in 1997.

In the mid-1980s, he began writing columns for the Bucks County Courier Times, work that grew into a featured column carried by local Calkins newspapers for more than 30 years. His writing gave him another way to tell stories, connect with readers, and leave his unmistakable voice on the community he loved.

Jerry was also an original member of Queen of the Universe Catholic Church in Levittown. Over the decades, he coached CYO baseball, chaperoned CYO trips, helped with fundraisers, and wrote and published materials for the parish. His faith was expressed not only in worship, but in the steady, practical work of showing up.

In retirement, he devoted himself to helping veterans. Sometimes that meant guiding combat veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam through the Veterans Administration system. For 20 years, it also meant volunteering with Operation Stand Down, an annual effort to bring homeless veterans off the street for a weekend of immediate aid and connection to longer-term support. In that work, as in so much of his life, Jerry met people where they were and helped them find their way forward.

Betty died in 2016, after a period of hospital and rehabilitation stays during which Jerry was often at her bedside around the clock. Those who knew them understood that their love story had begun early and endured fully. Now, his family said, they are reunited.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, James; and his wife, Betty Jonas, née McDevitt. He is survived by his children, Gerard III, Kathleen Bukowski and her husband, Stefan, Sarah, Daniel, Kevin, and Charles; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; his brother, Frank; and sister-in-law, Jean.

Visitation for family and friends will take place on Sunday, July 26, 2026 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, at James J. Dougherty Funeral Home, Inc., 2200 Trenton Rd, Levittown, PA 19056.

Visitation will also be held on Monday, July 27, 2026, from 9:30 am to 10:45 am, at Queen of the Universe, 2443 Trenton Rd, Levittown, PA. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00 am.

Burial with Full Military Honors will take place at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, 830 Highland Rd, Newtown, PA.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial donations to Toys for Tots. Contributions may be made online at https://www.toysfortots.org/support-us/donate-in-memory-or-in-honor.