Jerry Pelletier Obituary, Death – Although our dearly departed Gerry is no longer with us physically, he will always be with us in spirit. He was without a doubt the greatest possible spouse for Anne, as well as the best possible parent for Justin and Nikki. Because of his daring spirit, his love of adventure, and his devotion to his family and friends, we refer to him as “one of the great guys.”
His wife of 55 years, Anne Carroll, son Justin (Karma), daughter Nikki (Jim), and granddaughters Lilah and Anaya are among those who are left behind after his passing. His sister Mary, his brother Phil, his nieces and nephews, his cousins, and his many, many friends will all miss him greatly. He was born in San Francisco in 1946 to Marie and Pete Pelletier, who were longtime residents of the city.
Cabrillo Street in the Richmond District was where he found his older brother Phil waiting for him. The Argonne schoolyard, which was located about a half block away from his house, was where he spent the most of his waking hours cultivating his passion for basketball. After Argonne, he attended Star of the Sea, St. Ignatius (class of ’63), and finally the University of San Francisco, where he first met Anne and eventually fell in love with her.
After getting married in 1968, the couple settled in Fairfax in 1971, and Gerry immediately began the renovation and gardening work that would span his entire subsequent career. The results were inventive and astonishing, which made his home the object of admiration for everyone in the neighborhood. Gerry taught every grade from kindergarten all the way up to eighth throughout his 34 years of service to the San Francisco Unified School District.
Middle school science was without a doubt his favorite subject. When he would run into previous students, it would always fill him with joy when they would tell him how much they appreciated being in his class and how much of a great influence he had on their time spent in school. Even though he had a strong commitment to education, he found that retirement suited him better.
Being a docent at the Academy of scientific for a total of fifteen years was the ideal preparation for a career as a scientific educator. He also enjoyed the process of trip planning with Anne, including scouting out locations for fly fishing and going on his dream vacation to the Galapagos Islands. Gerry will be greatly missed by all of us to the very core of our beings.
