Gerald "Jerry" Pesch

Gerald (Jerry) G. Pesch, 83, of South Kingstown passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on April 24, 2024. He was the son of the late George C. Pesch and Marie (Lowrey) Pesch, and brother to the late Joan Pesch. Jerry was the beloved husband of Carol G. (Elliott) Pesch for 53 years.

Jerry was born in New York, New York. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and Queens College. Jerry earned MS and PhD degrees from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island (URI), and an MBA from URI. Although he grew up as a city kid, Jerry loved living in South County. He worked at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Laboratory in Narragansett for 35 years, where he met his wife. He worked in a number of different positions during that time: research, branch chief, team leader. Jerry was especially proud of the work he did as the North East Team Leader for the Office of Research and Development’s National Coastal Assessment Team.

Outside of work Jerry loved to be physically active: running, biking, fishing, boating, and clearing the land around their house. He once ran 50 miles, and in retirement used to regularly bike 30-50 miles. He was active at St. Andrew Lutheran Church. Jerry served several terms on the church council and organized a major work effort for teenagers to repair houses for sixty-five low-income families in South County. Camp Calumet was a special place for Jerry and his family. They camped there for 36 summers and attended special events there in the winter and fall. Jerry and Carol loved kayaking on Ossipee Lake early in the morning and sitting on the beach with Calumet friends.

Besides his wife, Jerry leaves his children Jonathan E. Pesch, Joshua E. Pesch and his wife Teddie, and Andrea L. Pesch; sister Kathy Carrillo and her husband Daniel; brother Charles Pesch and his wife Ann; four grandchildren Theo, Ava, Elsa and Josie Pesch; and several nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service, followed by a luncheon, will be held Saturday, June 1st at 11am at St Andrew Lutheran Church, 15 East Beach Road, Charlestown, RI. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to St. Andrew Lutheran Church or Calumet, PO Box 236, West Ossipee, NH 03890.