Obituary of Gerald Henry Lemitz

Gerald "Jerry" Lemitz, born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on December 10, 1929, Jerry was the only son of Henry and Catherine Lemitz. At an early age, he enlisted in the US Air Force and was immediately transferred to Germany to assist in the Berlin Airlift. He returned to McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas, where he met and married Joan Wentworth in February 1952. They moved with the Air Force to many posts, including Athens, Greece. Together they were able to visit many of the European countries with their four children, Debra, Catherine, David and Christina, who was born in Athens Greece. They returned to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Joan died from breast cancer in 1968. For a young man from Wisconsin and a young woman from Kansas, they were able to pack their short time together into many memorable adventures. Jerry later married Joyce Clayton and they moved the family to California, where they lived for almost 50 years. Jerry retired from the US Air Force after 30 years of service. They both loved the outdoors and enjoyed fishing, camping, boating, gardening, especially tomatoes, and casinos. Jerry was also a talented woodworker and tooled leather belts and bags. In his younger years, Jerry played semiprofessional softball and was an accomplished bowler. His wife Joyce died September 13, 2016, after a long struggle with Alzheimer's. Jerry's children produced 5 grandchildren; Christopher Reed, Justin Reed, Sara Benjamin, Molly Benjamin and Kaycee McLaughlin and 2 great-grandchildren; Ava Monet Reed and Jaxson James Dundas. The family would like to express our sincere gratitude to Angel-Lite Residential Care Facility in Browns Valley for the compassionate and kind care they extended to our father during the last months of his life. A military honors ceremony is scheduled for September 27th, 2017, at 10:30 AM, at Sierra View Memorial Park in Olivehurst, CA. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity.