Gerald Chester Gilmer

Gerald Chester Gilmer, age 66, of Dassel, died Thursday, April 10, 2014, at the St. Cloud Hospital. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, at 2:00 pm, at the Johnson Funeral Home in Dassel. An interment will be held at the Howard Lake Cemetery following the service. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the Johnson Funeral Home in Dassel Memorials are suggested to be made in his honor to the Dassel History Center, St. Cloud Hospital Surgical Center, and any environmental preservation organization or to the donor's choice. Gerald Chester Gilmer was born January 9, 1948 in Litchfield, MN. He was the fifth bouncing baby boy born to Wesley and Ida Gilmer of Dassel, MN. He is remembered fondly by older cousins as a happy well behaved child, a true "good, sweet, little boy." In high school he enjoyed band playing the trumpet and bugle as his primary instruments. He also played the tuba in the marching band because there was no one else strong enough to carry the tuba. Gerry helped start the very first Dassel golf team and played on it. He was a pretty good golfer with his lefty swing. Besides family, music was perhaps his greatest love. He had favorite songs from every type of music; rock and roll, gospel, classical, country; he liked something from all. He went to college in Minneapolis at the U of MN and remained a lifelong Gopher fan. Finishing his degree was diverted by a family emergency need, which call he did not hesitate to answer. He never wished to return to college, he had found that his calling was to care for others in his family and in his village for the rest of his life. Gerald supplemented that caregiving with delivering the news of the world to the doorstep of his town for decades; faithfully in rain, snow, cold, heat, he delivered on time the major newspaper, Minneapolis Star Tribune. He never married but had 14 children; Jeffrey (Mary), Carrie (Phillip), Jonathan (Diane), David (Pam), Victoria, Gregory, James (Janet), Jennifer (Kurt), Marcienne, Leah (Marc), Barbara (Peter), Erik (Summer), Jenna (Trent), and Malia (Peter). These were actually his nieces and nephews and he also had 27 great nieces and nephews with another on the way and one great-great nephew. He loved them each as if they were his own. Until his death he kept up with the news on each one, including the youngest 3 year old great great nephew. He had concern over, encouraged and cheered on each one continually throughout their lives. He was known for making sure each one had a birthday card in the mailbox every year and perfectly timed to arrive on the day. In fact any living relative out to third cousins got birthday cards every year on time, from Gerald C. Gilmer. He was a deeply loving and fun Uncle, and is deeply loved in return. He has one brother, John, the oldest of the five, waiting to greet him across the river of life along with his parents, Wesley Gilmer and Ida Eddy Gilmer, former sister-in-law, Ardyce Greenley Gilmer, beloved Grandmother Christena Gilmer, and many aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins; family he deeply missed and longed to see again. He has three surviving brothers, Norman (Judith), Roger (Katee) and Don (MaryBeth) and sister-in-law, Gloria Gilmer, who will miss and long to see him now. As will all his nieces and nephews and surviving cousins, especially Polly Eddy O'Brien, Betty Eddy Koenig and John Paul Eddy. Gerry kept up with everyone in the family and enjoyed still communicating with that wonderful old thing called a card or letter. He was also keenly interested in family ancestry and history. He discovered the Gilmers have royal blood through the Scottish royal clan of Bruce. Gerry was a true winner! Entering sweepstakes and drawings was his favorite hobby. He won two cars over the years and also a trip with his brothers to the Daytona 500 where they met and had lunch with Richard Petty! He won games, TVs, t-shirts, hats, sunglasses, tools, snowboards and almost anything one can think of. He really loved the excitement of "You have won a .....!!!!!" He loved gardening and had even grown a lemon and an orange tree from seed that produced fruit in his Minnesota living room! He was a committed environmentalist decades before it was popular or faddish. He was a hippie without the drugs, a Love and Peace without the phoniness kind of guy. He was above average gentle and kind. He said he was a "Christian without the dogma" kind of a human being. He enjoyed sports very much; football and the Vikings were his favorite. He had played himself for the Dassel High School Vikings as a starting center his senior year. He also loved everything about the Twins except the manager Ron Gardenhire. In his last days Gerry joked it should be Gardenfired. He enjoyed basketball alot too but his favorite BB game was in the driveway playing with nieces and nephews and his brothers. He had always said he wished to die by floating away across the water on an ice floe. Gerry spent his last week in the St. Cloud hospital with a view overlooking the Mississippi River. The first days he was there the river was frozen over; incredibly, 30 minutes before he died the late afternoon of April 10, the last large chunk of river ice, about the size of a football field, suddenly broke loose and flowed away south. Two of his nieces, Carrie and Barbara, said the Lord's Prayer holding his hands and he passed immediately after, very peacefully. Gerald never stopped caregiving, even after his death he donated tissue and organs to give health and life to others. His ship has sailed past the horizon, and we wish him calm seas and colorful skies and familiar loved ones greeting him on the other shore. The family continued... 1 2 Next ...continued thanks the unbelievably kind, professional, knowledgeable, super-human staff of St. Cloud Hospital. Previous 1 2

Gerald Chester Gilmer

January 9, 1948 - April 10, 2014