GERALD K. "JERRY" MOORE
MEMORIAL SERVICE COLORADO
MICHAEL SMITH REMEMBERS JERRY Michael Smith, Sarah Burke and Jerry. (1990s)
JERRY MOORE was a man of small physical stature, but he was a GIANT in the eyes of the people who knew him. He was a force of nature, like a hurricane, but a constructive hurricane building people up wherever he went. And he went so many places. Let me give you a quick glimpse into various aspects of his life where he was able to love up large numbers of people.
Jerry built into the lives of his family of origin, which was large and of humble beginnings. Over the years he helped his brothers and sisters and their children in many ways.
With his own family he did more to launch people into successful lives than any father or grandfather I know. He was overwhelmingly blessed by his bride, Miss Rosalie, so much so that speaking of her usually brought him to tears of joy, humbled by the blessing and grace of Rosalie’s love, he never thought he deserved. He loved Miss Theresa and Miss Vicki and cherished telling stories about them, especially ones where he was the teacher and one of them was the student. His grandchildren Sarah and Spencer brought him incredible joy and taught him things even he didn’t know about young people. And much more recently his great grandson, Nolan, breathed new life and vigor into Jerry’s last year.
He coached more than 100 people in the financial business to success in at least 4 states. Jerry was so people oriented he was even loved by the people he fired. He was better than any other at coaching brokers about what to do and then following up to tell them how they were doing. And if they weren’t headed in the right direction he would tell them they weren’t going to make it as a broker and it was time for the two of them to discover what he or she was meant to be doing. And he worked with people until they found a new job that suited them. In 1998 Jerry was nominated to the broker hall of fame by an industry publication. I knew and loved Jerry and wrote a nice letter lauding his many great qualities. And I thought I was one of the few who had been so touched and would take the time.
He was selected for the honor that year, but it was only recently on a visit to Jerry’s home that I discovered his family had kept the letters submitted. It was incredible to discover there were no less than 50 letters written on Jerry’s behalf. He loved and championed so many people, and he made FRIENDS for LIFE.
And by the way, despite brokerage managers not getting paid to work with clients, Jerry continued to work with so many people who loved
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him and trusted him throughout his entire career, following him from state to state.
He started people biking and then played a big role to create adventurous biking experiences. I am one of the people he decided needed to be on a bike. Imagine me 100 lbs ago. He plucked me from comfort and sat me on a bike, and then pointed me up a hill. We eventually made it to Ride the Rockies together, but he conquered much more daunting terrain on his own. In conjunction with his years on Team Evergreen he took on the year-long thankless job of registering people for the Triple Bypass bike ride for 4 years in a row, He didn’t just ride, he enhanced the riding of so many others while doing jobs that no American wanted to do.
Many years ago, Jerry decided to become a wrestling referee. He was a boxer himself, but I think he wanted to impact more people. so he found the best wrestling ref and had him teach Jerry everything he needed to know about refereeing. And he became one of the absolute best. He and the men he worked with in Colorado were invited to ref meets across the country, especially the big ones like Reno, Lehigh, and many state championships. I have been told all the refs in Colorado will be wearing a black armband with Jerry’s initials at all the high school meets in 2019-2020. To anyone’s knowledge this has never been done before * and despite only rumors of their existence at this point, refs from across the country are calling and asking to buy these special arm bands. If you didn’t know Jerry personally, you are just out of luck, because I don’t know anyone who has the words to describe this humble man who loved so many people and did such a broad variety of things so very well. Jerry had a huge heart and a generosity of spirit that made a real difference to so many of the lives he touched. Jerry had a thousand stories. I could sit and listen to them all day long. I loved, admired and respected the man, and will cherish his memory as long as my mind continues to function. Jerry Moore was a Christian, a Patriot, the perfect Coach and a Gentleman. And the world is brighter because he walked through it. Please allow me to close by using one of his own favorite expressions. Jerry Moore, I appreciate you! * Since written we learned that arm bands were done once before, for Mr. Santos "Sandy" Cageao, Jerry's officiating mentor. |
Page Created: December 2020, Last Revised: October 2012