October 18 2015: GERHART, James Clark

JAMES CLARK GERHART (Age 80)

On Thursday, October 15, 2015, of Silver Spring, MD. Beloved husband of Dorothy J. Gerhart; loving father of Kenneth R. Gerhart, Suzanne K. (Sean) George, Brian W. Gerhart; devoted grandfather of Sara Kate and Evan George. Relatives and friends may call at Collins Funeral Home, 500 University Boulevard West, Silver Spring, MD, Thursday, October 22, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.; followed by the Funeral Service at 1 p.m. Interment at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037.

Please Click Here to View and Sign Online Guestbook

 

James Clark Gerhart

(1935-2015)

James (Jim) Clark Gerhart, 80, passed away peacefully in the presence of family on 15 October 2015 at Montgomery General Hospital, in Olney, Maryland. Born in Los Angeles, California, he was a beloved husband to Dorothy (Rowley) and father to Kenneth, Suzanne (Sean) and Brian; and grandfather to Sara Kate and Evan. Jim had a lot of sparkle as a little boy. He loved swimming in the ocean and spending time hiking and fishing with his brother John, and cousins at the family cabin in Wright’s Lake in California’s El Dorado National Forest. In late 1943 his family moved to New York City where he and his brother attended the Brooklyn Friends School. Jim made friends quickly in the street and adjacent neighborhoods. When it snowed, they built forts on the sidewalks. After World War Two ended, the family returned to San Marino, California where he began his love of the newspaper business. He had two paper routes for the Pasadena Star News and later on for the Los Angeles Times. In high school Jim was honored to be the editor of the weekly school newspaper. He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout, something he would inspire both his son’s to do as well. He was also a big baseball fan. His first loyalty was the L.A. Angels (a Chicago Cubs farm club), and then the Hollywood Stars. Jim subscribed to the St. Louis Sporting News during baseball season and memorized the batting averages and other vital statistics every week. Jim started college at Cal Berkeley, before transferring to UCLA in his sophomore year. He was the editor-in-chief of the UCLA yearbook. He worked the night shift at the L. A. Times as the copy boy. He was the first one to see incoming teletypes and was given the responsibility of alerting the night editor when he deemed there was a story of extraordinary importance. Jim was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army through ROTC at UCLA. His first assignment was to Stuttgart, Germany. Here he mastered the German language, along with Italian, French and Spanish. He served three years in Europe with the Army. Upon his return to the U.S. he applied as a civilian for Army Intelligence; he stayed in this profession until retirement in 2003, serving as an analyst in Washington D.C., the Panama Canal Zone and Germany. Arriving in the Canal Zone in 1968, he was assigned as an analyst with the Army at Fort Amador where he met his future wife, Dorothy. In December of 1968, they eloped and were married in Costa Rica, and then again at the Balboa Union Church. He had the honor of adopting his first son Kenneth, Dorothy’s son from a previous marriage. He was a Master mason, a member of Abou Saad Shrine Temple and the Editor of the Tropic Temple Topics magazine; and he served as the treasurer for St. Luke’s Cathedral in Ancon. During this time, his family grew with the birth of his daughter Suzanne and son Brian. In 1973, the Army moved the family to the U.S. Command in West Berlin, Germany. They left West Berlin for the Canal Zone on Christmas Day in 1976. After a few more years in the Canal Zone, the family relocated to Silver Spring, Maryland in 1984 until returning to Heidelberg, Germany in late 1989. In 2000, he and Dorothy returned to the U.S. in style aboard the QE II ocean liner from England to New York City. In 2003, he retired after 42 years from the government. He lived in Maryland with his wife Dorothy until he passed. He will be missed by all who knew him and loved him.