Jerry passed away on May 26, 2025. Born March 29, 1928,he had recently turned 97. He lived a full life, fully present, and was honored with many rememberances from friends and family, testifying to his legacy of having left values, not just valuables, to all with whom his path had crossed. These were the words that I shared at his memorial.
Don’t die until you’re dead. That was another favorite Jerry original. And one he lived by.
Where others might slow down in their later years, Jerry accelerated, blazing forward with creativity, curiosity, and determination. Jerry was lit up with purpose. Right until the end.
I had the honor of being Jerry’s collaborator and creative partner for the last decade. Together, we wrote Where Two Worlds Meet: A Guide to Connecting with Your Teenage Grandchildren, an award-winning book rooted in one simple idea: that grandparents, when they unleash their creativity, have extraordinary power to transform their family and bring everyone closer across all three generations: grandchildren, parents, and grandparents.
Jerry was especially passionate about helping grandparents stay connected during the teen years, a time when kids may pull away, but when they need their grandparents more than ever.
But Jerry didn’t just write about intergenerational connection—he lived it.
He showed up with his whole self—wisdom, vulnerability, questions, stories, ideas, and, yes, agendas and spreadsheets. And for his grandchildren, if you were ever taken aback by the questions he asked, you should hear the ones I told him he couldn’t ask! In his defense, he wanted to know everything about his grandchildren, to enter their world.
He was a relentless champion for intentional family connection, working to empower grandparents to nurture a culture of open, supportive, and multi-directional sharing in their family.
I liken Jerry to a rocket shooting to the stars, learning, connecting, and contributing across the lifespan.
In the last 10 years of Jerry’s life, that is, AFTER turning 85, Jerry launched a website and blog, built a following on social media, became a columnist for Grand Magazine, and spoke to audiences, in person and virtually, from Chicago to Phoenix, LA to New York and even Israel.
Empowering Grandparents to Volunteer in Schools.
He developed a Grandparent Connection School Curriculum—complete with original research to measure impact. Because Jerry always asked: “But how do we know it works?” He funded that research. He analyzed the results. He adjusted the programming. And he saw the data confirm what he knew in his bones: that connecting across generations strengthens families, supports mental health, builds resilience in young people, and gives older adults a renewed sense of purpose and joy.
He created a version of the school program for religious schools, too. And through our partnership with JCC Chicago, hundreds of grandparents from the U.S., Canada, and Israel shared their memories with their grandchildren through the “Prompt a Memory” program. His stories—about playing marbles in a clean dirt patch, or the first meal he cooked for someone else—were always a delight. It was hot dogs and beans for his family on an all-day outing to the Indiana Dunes, by the way.
But more than that, Jerry knew that stories were a gateway.
He believed that one story could change the tone of a whole relationship, especially stories of experiences shared by grandparents and grandchildren, albeit decades apart–like a first crush, a first car, or being bullied at school.
Even in his 90s, Jerry dove headfirst into new tech. We launched livestreams and a YouTube channel. Jerry became a beloved podcast guest. He even fell in love with ChatGPT—though he admitted he didn’t understand all of it. Still, he encouraged grandparents to use tech as yet another opportunity for connection: “Ask your grandchildren to teach you,” he’d say. “It’s another way in.”
Create Together to Be Great Together
One of our last major projects was Create Together to Be Great Together, a livestream video to kick off Grandparents Academy Grandparents Week. Grandparent and grandchild creators, including artists, authors, adventurers, and TikTokers, shared their creative process. It was everything Jerry loved—creative, communal, joyfully messy, and filled with heart.
Jerry was always generous with his time and ideas, always open to new collaborators, and always hoping to spark one more connection, one more moment of understanding between generations.
He leaves behind a living legacy
He leaves behind a living legacy—in the thousands of families he inspired, in the professionals and educators he mentored, and in the unwavering belief he carried: that grandparents matter. That this work matters. That it can change lives. That it does.
