Engineer Extraordinaire, Loving and Generous Man … “Born to build”
Born in Portland Oregon on June 9th, 1929 to Father Lester Geer and Mother Leona Andrews Geer. Jack had two brothers, Richard Geer, who passed in 2003 and Robert Geer who passed
in 2000.
Growing up in Salem and Silverton, Jack had fond memories of his younger years. From his first job of picking beans (which he vowed never to do again), to getting to drive the grocery delivery truck, to his first car a 1936 Ford Coupe.
Earning an engineering degree from Oregon State College in Civil Engineering in 1952 set him on a path to pursue his career passion in construction.
He Joined the Army in 1952, serving as a platoon leader for the Engineer Construction Battalion in the Korean Combat Zone and retired honorably from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. After his tour of duty, he took a job with Bethlehem Steel where he was exposed to a variety of projects and most notably where he discovered his true calling in the steel industry.
Jack always had “projects” to work on, both at home and at work he loved. He was integral to the construction of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge in San Francisco, the Fremont Bridge in Portland, the Snake River Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho, and the Mississippi River Bridge at Vicksburg Miss. just to name a few. In 1974 he joined Tokola Corporation where he managed key projects all over the world. He took over as president of Tokola in 1982.
Jack was most proud of his involvement with the four different retrofit projects on the Golden Gate Bridge, including the replacement of suspender cables. He was also a key member of the team that performed the rapid repair of Chicago’s landmark Michigan Avenue Bridge.
Jack was truly blessed to love what he did and spent much of his later years as a board member and consultant with Danny’s Construction Company out of Minneapolis, and as an independent consultant with Columbia Bridge and Geer LLC. He worked until 90 and remained sharp as a tack!
To his family Jack will always be known as a loving father and “gramps” that would always take the time to help in any way he could.
Jack was preceded in death by Marylou Damewood Geer (1999), wife of 37 years and Francis Baum Geer (2021), wife of 18 years. He is survived by son Father Stephen Geer, and daughters Lynda Sulmonetti and Tricia Christensen. He was blessed with 7 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
Jack would argue that he died too young as he was supposed to live to be 126!
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