Gerald Joseph "JERRY" Greenwood

Gerald Joseph Greenwood January 25, 1932 - December 11, 2013 Gerald Joseph Greenwood (Jerry) was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 25, 1932. The youngest of four brothers born to Charles and Kathryn Greenwood, Gerald was beloved by many aunts, uncles, and cousins. His brothers, Charles, John (Rock), and James (Jim) loved to tease and play tricks on their little brother, such as sticking him head first into deep Minnesota snow drifts and building bonfires around him. 'Gerald Boy', as he was known to the family, was a willing and eager participant in these events, once even attempting to follow the older boys to a movie and ending up at a police station instead! Gerald loved his big brothers a great deal. When Jerry was just seven, his father died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage. Soon after his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and had a prolonged and painful demise. Gerald cared for his mother and kept the house running, while still going to elementary school. Once Kathryn passed away, Jerry and Jim went to live with their Uncle Paul and Aunt Ag, while Rock went to newlywed cousin Margaret and her husband, Pat O'Loughlin. For the rest of young Gerald's life, family bonds and his faith were of the utmost importance. Jerry served in the Air Force during the Korean War. He was stationed in Tokyo and worked in public events. One of his duties was taking care of entertainers and luminaries who came to Japan to entertain the troops. Among those he worked with were Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, who were in Japan during their honeymoon. Jerry was a smart, outgoing and popular young man, who loved history, English, music and art. He excelled in art from an early age and his gifts as a watercolorist eventually led him to the Minneapolis School of Art, where he met his future wife, Janet Roslien, of Iowa. They travelled in a large group of friends, and Jerry always thought she was very sweet, loving and talented. Janet and Jerry were married in Manly, Iowa on December 29, 1961. According to Jerry's own account, he cried through the wedding Mass and his bride just smiled and looked pretty. Following the wedding, they returned to Minneapolis, then honeymooned in New York City and Washington, DC (Janet's father, Oscar, was even the train engineer!) Jerry began his long career in store design during Christmas at Dayton Hudson in Minneapolis. He loved the theatricality of the great stores of the era, and worked all over the United States, including I. Magnin (California), Diamond's (Arizona), B. Altman (New York), and The Denver (Colorado). Jerry was well known in the store design industry, earning accolades for gorgeous, imaginative work over many years. His Christmas windows were remarkable, and lauded in the press. While still living in Minneapolis, Jerry and Janet welcomed their first daughter, Kathryn Elizabeth, in November, 1966. They moved to San Francisco in 1968 and welcomed their second daughter, Anne Roslien, in December, 1969. The family was always close and they enjoyed the many adventures they had as they criss-crossed the country. After a very successful career, Jerry retired from store design in 1986 and then led the Western Association of Visual Merchandising in San Francisco, hosting annual industry conferences and events. Jerry took great pride and pleasure in planning the weddings of his daughters: Kathryn to Charles Andrews in 1996, then Anne to Troy Brickley in 1997. Janet and Jerry moved from Mill Valley to Petaluma following retirement, and then to Colorado to be closer to their grandchildren, Sam and Katie. He also enjoyed seeing his other grandchildren, Paul and Maggie, at every opportunity. One of the great joys of his later life was time spent with the grandchildren, and he always said that it kept him young. In his final years, Jerry loved gardening, reading, and painting murals on the walls of his grandchildren's rooms (as well as a preschool in Maryland.) He dearly loved his wife, and took great pleasure in celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. To the end, Jerry was a great conversationalist, and took a real delight in politics, theater, and music. Gerald Joseph Greenwood passed away after a long illness on December 11, 2013, surrounded by his family. He was 82. Jerry leaves his wife of 52 years, Janet, his daughters Kate and Anne, and grandchildren Sam, Paul, Katie and Maggie, as well as many family and friends. Mass will take place on Monday, December 16, at 11:00am at Spirit of Christ Catholic Church, 7400 West 80th Avenue, in Arvada. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes memorial gifts to be made to TRU Community Care Hospice www.trucare.org)