Gerald Pierce Glass, 74, passed peacefully at home surrounded by his family on March 15, 2024.

Jerry grew up in a North Side Chicago bungalow with his mom, Betty Jane Cargill, grandmother, and little sister, Janet. Santa gifted six-year-old Jerry his first Lionel engine, sparking a lifelong passion for model train collecting. At 8, Jerry boarded at a military academy, for his mom worried he’d be a “sissy” in a house of women. He attended St. Philip’s Junior High then Lane Tech High School for two years. Aside from tormenting Janet, young Jerry kept a newspaper route, played sports and clarinet, and rooted for the Bears and Cubs.

Jerry’s family relocated to a house on the Fox River in McHenry when his mother remarried before his junior year. He played football and wrestled for McHenry Community High School, where he enjoyed math and woodshop. Jerry worked as a steakhouse line cook to maintain his ‘55 Mercury and a speed boat.

At 16, Jerry forged a friendship with his father, Jim Glass, an artist and advertising salesman. Their camaraderie included cocktails and laughter around Jim’s piano in his Lake Shore Drive skyrise. Jerry’s first international travel was to France with his father.

Jerry attended Northern Illinois University, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s in statistics. There, he roomed with three fellas who, with their wives, became lifelong friends—“the Group.” After college, Jerry completed the Air Force Officers Training School before starting his professional work in banking systems analysis in downtown Chicago.

Jerry met Therese “Terri”/“Tess” Fourie while working at Arthur Andersen in the Loop. He would detour on his walk to the water cooler to pass the desk of the bubbly bookkeeper in blue-tinted glasses and hair to her waist. One morning before Christmas, the two found themselves on the same elevator, and Terri offered Jerry a cookie from the tray she had baked for the office–he helped himself to three. Their first date was Christmas Eve.

Tess and Jer married in 1974 at St. Barbara’s in Brookfield; thus “Uncle Jer” became a beloved Fourie “outlaw.” The newlyweds bought their first house in Glen Ellyn before settling in McHenry to start a family. Jerry commuted to his La Salle Street bank (Exchange National before several subsequent corporate buyouts) over twenty years, rarely missing a day.

Daughters Jill and Christy arrived in 1979 and  `80. Their dad ensured an active childhood rich in visits to Auntie Jan and Uncle George's Iowa acreage, Fourie family holidays, road trips with the pop-up camper, sports, and dad-daughter wilderness adventures through the YMCA’s Indian Princesses and Trail-Mates. Despite his long commutes, Jerry never missed his girls’ games and events if he could help it, usually coming straight from the train station still in his suit.

In McHenry, Jerry served as a catechist for St. Patrick’s Church, played softball for Penny Lane Bar & Grill, worked as an adjunct professor at McHenry Community College, and sat on the library board. A longtime member of the McHenry Area Jaycees, Jerry served as chapter president and helped build the renowned haunted house at Knox Park Barn each year.

Jerry and Terri moved to Las Vegas in 2000, where “Mr. Glass” became a Clark County School District math teacher. His humor, kindness, and hard work made him a favorite among students and colleagues–one admiring student group called him “G-Nasty,” a nickname he embraced. Tess and Jer’s teaching schedule led to extensive travel and recreation. They built a cabin in rural Utah, fulfilling Jerry’s dream of a rustic perch from which he could stargaze and ponder mountain elevations. Upon retirement, the district recognized G-Nasty for his nine years of perfect attendance, and Tess and Jer relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona.

Jerry was visiting his daughters in Las Vegas at Christmas in 2020 when he suffered a stroke that impaired his mobility and cognition. He and Tess moved back to Vegas to be close to their girls. In the years that followed, Jerry hosted his daughter’s wedding and engaged in frequent family gatherings and scenic road trips before enduring another stroke in March 2024, when his family sought hospice care. Surrounded by his family and beloved pets, Jerry reported no pain, nibbled on a chocolate chip cookie, and mumbled about “up there” before falling asleep.

Jerry is survived by his wife of 49 years, Terri; daughters Jill (Arturo Coste) and Christy; a cherished sister Jan Lydon (Pat); honorary granddaughters Emma and Lucy; and dozens of beloved in-laws, nieces, and nephews.

Family and friends will celebrate his life in a private gathering in Las Vegas. Instead of flowers, donations to Safe Nest are appreciated. 

https://safenest.org/how-to-h…

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/gerald-glass/obituary/

Copy