Obituary of Gerard "Gerry" Kowalchuk

Gerard (Gerry) Kowalchuk, of Rockledge, Florida died on November 12th after a sudden illness surrounded by his daughter Tracy, her fiancée Adam Boucher, and his brother Chuck. In addition to his daughter and brother, he is also survived by his sisters Kathryn Mayerhofer (John) and Marie Hoag (John). His eldest niece Caroline Mayerhofer predeceased him. Niece Marin Hoag, nephews John Michael Mayerhofer (Nichole) and Kevin Hoag (Cynthia) also mourn his loss.
 
Gerry was born in Woodhaven, New York and received his Bachelor of Science degree from City College of New York. Following in his family’s tradition, he was a lifelong Yankee fan.

He first applied his skills as an electrical engineer at a home security systems company in New York and then began his career at Grumman where he worked for over 40 years creating troubleshooting systems for Grumman jet engines.

His work included travel to Egypt, France, Taiwan and Japan where he trained teams in those countries on their purchases from Grumman and later Northrop Grumman. He received many awards for his work at Northrop Grumman.

Anyone who knew Gerry could attest to his quick wit and jovial nature. He had a unique ability to light up any room with his jokes. Gerry was a beacon of laughter, compassion, and warmth to all those fortunate enough to have known him.

A memorial will be held on Sunday, December 17 at 11:30 a.m. at Beckman Williamson Funeral Home, 5400 Village Drive, Rockledge, Fla. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Childrenshungerproject.org