Gerald "Jerry" Warren Chase passed away on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.
Gerald Warren Chase was born on July 9, 1934, in Glendale, California, to Elizabeth Bowman Chase and Robert Chase.
His early years were spent in the northern Los Angeles area, with high school years at Santa Monica High School. Jerry went on to college at West Point in New York and graduated in 1957. He first served in Korea with the engineering battalion, and later returned to study and earn a Master's Degree in Civil and Nuclear Engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. While there, he met Sara Homburg and they married in 1962.
Jerry served in the Army Corps of Engineers for twenty years, with his final assignment in Des Moines, Iowa. After the U.S. Army had switched to being a voluntary entry organization, Lt. Col. Chase was sent to Iowa to encourage the youth of the state to serve their country, learn and travel through their service. When Lt. Col. Chase retired from the Army, he took a teaching position at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and also earned his Doctorate in Civil and Construction Engineering at that time.
Jerry was also a proud citizen of Ames. In his free time, Jerry volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club teaching the game of cribbage. The weekends were often spent working with Habitat for Humanity and later, Food at First.
Jerry Chase is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sara H. Chase, his two children, Jessica Jane of Ames and Elizabeth Chase Vivas, and his son-in-law Gerardo Vivas, of Oak Park, Illinois. He was much loved by his three grandchildren, Gilbert, Sarah, and Carlo Vivas, as well as several nieces and a nephew.
A memorial service will be held on March 28th, 2022, at Northcrest Community, 2300 Northcrest Parkway, at 2:00 p.m. with a gathering to follow. The Grand Room is located off the main entrance. Call 515-232-6760 and press "0" for the operator for more information about Northcrest Community.