Gerald "Jerry" T. Nauer

Gerald “Jerry” Thomas Nauer, age 65, died peacefully early Monday, July 24, 2023 with his family present.  He was born December 5, 1957 and lived most of his life in U.C.L.A. – Upper Canton, Lower Akron.  Jerry was a strong, hardworking man who was known and loved for his “unique” way of talking and wry, sometimes shocking sense of humor.

The third son of Gerald Nauer and Marilyn Fox Kelly, Jerry grew up in Akron and attended St. Sebastian until the family moved to Wadsworth in the late 1960’s.  He went to Wadsworth High School and graduated from Barnesville High School in 1976. Afterwards, he joined Ironworkers Local 17 and completed the apprenticeship to become journeyman.  Jerry was on the crew that built the Akron Y bridge and many other buildings in NE Ohio.  It was while building the I-480 bridges in Cleveland in 1979 where he met the love of his life, Debbie.  Jerry later joined Floyd Browne in Marion, Ohio as an Environmental Driller and travelled throughout Ohio and nearby states for his job. He moved back to UCLA in 1998 to work for Ashland Distribution, now known as Univar Solutions, from where he recently retired.  That hardworking mentality, instilled in him by his parents and grandparents, made Jerry proudly and willingly work countless hours of overtime throughout the years to make sure his daughters had prom dresses, cleats and college degrees.

Like his father and brothers, Jerry’s favorite activity after a long day at work was to hang out in the garage with a cold beer, usually PBR. He was a stereotypical Dad and the garage was his fortress of solitude, due to a houseful of women, including the dog. He was a man of many words, although some of them only made sense to him. We just called them Jerry-isms.  Time at home with his family and camping were his favorite hobbies. Nobody was a stranger to Jerry and he was always willing to lend a helping hand. He said he was crabby, not grouchy, and you had no doubt how he felt about any particular topic or situation.

Jerry leaves behind his wife of 35 years, Debra Koprek-Nauer, his daughters, Corrinne (Eric) Lochtefeld and Jennifer Nauer (Nick Wells), granddaughter Abigail Lochtefeld and dog Maddie. Jerry was fondly known as “PH2” to his siblings, David “PH1” (Becky) Nauer, Deborah (Doug) Currier, Diane (Dick) Conrad, Patricia (Doug) Conant, Jean (Phil) Brown, Paul “PH3” Nauer and numerous nieces and nephews.

Words cannot express how deeply he will be missed by his wife, daughters, family and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 28, 2023 at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 204 Sixth St. NW., Barberton. Calling Hours Thursday from 5-8 p.m. a the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to the charity of one's choice.