Jere Donn Gauss

Jere (pronounced “Jerry”) was born in Fresno, CA on September 16, 1951 to Fred and Eulalia Gauss.

In his youth, Jere became an accomplished piano player; he was featured in the Fresno Bee a number of times for his musical and scholastic accomplishments. Jere even delivered newspapers for the Bee for several years.

Jere graduated from Fresno State with a degree in electrical engineering. He was employed out of college by Douglas Aircraft, later McDonnell Douglas and, after that, Boeing Aircraft.

Jere met Deborah Kuester during his time as a Theta Chi frater. They married in 1976 and went on to have three daughters.

While in college, a fraternity brother introduced Jere to the wonderful world of the Edsel automobile and he was soon an ardent fan and, eventually, a renowned expert, uncovering many secrets in his research. He served in several positions within the various clubs he was a member of, including as President of The Southlanders Edsel Owners Club. Jere attended many rallies and conventions for both the Edsel Owners Club and International Edsel Club where he conducted seminars on various facets of the Edsel automobile. He loved to share his collected information and was a regular contributor to several Facebook groups using the pseudonym of Gunther Toody, a name taken from the 1960’s TV show “Car 54 Where are You.”

His other passions included coin and stamp collecting, and rock and roll music from the 1960s. Jere was also known for being a bit of a walking encyclopedia. He watched Jeopardy every night and often “skunked” contestants.

Jere was preceded in death by his wife, Deborah, in October 2021 and his brother, Gene Gauss. He is survived by his three daughters, Genevieve Gauss and her husband Michael; Alyssa Shackelford, her husband Cody and Jere’s only granddaughter, Margot (another granddaughter is due this spring); and his youngest, Emily Madden. He is also survived by brother Norman Gauss.

A celebration of Jere’s life will be planned at a later date. If you would like to be informed when plans are made, please email [email protected]