Gerald Henry Minot

Gerald “Jerry” Minot gently passed away at 90 in his Alameda home on May 19, 2018 surrounded by family, friends, his Carmelite prayer group, and a surprise guest: a great Cooper’s Hawk holding a dove who visited Jerry on a perch above his head for a few minutes before flying towards the heavens with its charge.

Soon after Jerry’s birth to George and Helen Minot in 1927 in Denver, Colorado, his family moved to Alameda where Jerry would spend the rest of his life making countless friends and devoting time to his family and the Saint Philip Neri parish. A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, Jerry made his life about whole- hearted service to his country, family, community, and church.

Following military service, Jerry married Clarice Minot, the love of his life, and went to Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. After graduating, he joined the San Francisco Chronicle where he worked in the advertising department for 30 years before starting his own advertising service.

A regular at the Harbor Bay Club, Jerry swam up to a mile 3 or 4 times a week from college until the month he died. He understood exercise, veggies and prayer - as well as the occasional chardonnay - would allow him to keep doing all the things he loved for his entire life, including watercolor painting, tending his zen-like garden and bonsais, playing bridge, praying every day at church and regularly with the Carmelites, cheering all the Bay Area teams, organizing annual Saint Joseph’s High reunions for the class of ’45, and generously helping others. He could be seen just about every day somewhere in Alameda in his cowboy hat with his son, Bob, at his side enjoying every minute of life with joy, laughter and great reverence for the spirit of God in everyone and everything.

Gerald is survived by children, Karen and Robert; grandson, Jacob; and siblings, Roland and Elaine. He is further survived by nephews, nieces, dear friends, and the many lives he touched and people he cared about.

Family and friends may visit on Friday, June 8, 2018 after 6:00 p.m. and attend the Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m. at Greer Family Mortuary and Cremation Services, 2694 Blanding Ave., Alameda. The Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, June 9th at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Philip Neri, 3101 Van Buren St., Alameda. 

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