Gerard William Clum passed away on Friday, October 27, 2023, surrounded by loved ones. 

You don't have to look far to find an impressive list of Gerry's professional accomplishments, as he was a brilliant leader and advocate for the chiropractic profession for over 50 years. That said, amid the well-deserved accolades, he was also a son, brother, cousin, uncle, husband, dad and grandfather, and he filled those roles arguably even better.

Gerry was born in Buffalo, New York on May 7, 1952 to Don and Mary Alice Clum. He grew up just outside the city with his brother, Bob, and sister, Mary, heavily shaped by beloved cousins, the shores of Lake Eerie and his Jesuit education. When he was 12 years old, he had a profound experience that led him to become a chiropractor, and he went on to serve humanity as a chiropractor for over 50 years.

Gerry went to Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa straight out of high school, and graduated in 1973. He opened a practice in Davenport, joined the faculty at Palmer, and soon after, went on a blind date with a woman that he knew he'd marry as soon as he'd met her. He married Cathy about 8 months after meeting her, on November 2, 1974, and they moved together to Marietta, Georgia to help start Life Chiropractic College. He was one of 3 founding faculty members at Life, and wore many hats to ensure that it took flight and succeeded. During the 7 years they lived in Marietta, Gerry and Cathy had 3 children, Don, Cassie and Lauren, and when Lauren was just 8 months old, he moved his family across the country to San Lorenzo, California. His friend/mentor/boss, Dr. Sid Williams, had agreed to help a struggling chiropractic college there, so long as he could rename the school and name its first president - he named it Life Chiropractic College West, and named Gerry as its first president.

Dr. Gerry Clum served as president of Life West for 30 years, earning countless honors, achievements and accolades, all of which deserve the highest recognition and praise, and are beautifully archived in several brilliant statements about his professional service that are linked to this site. In 1997, his daughter, Cassie, started working at the coffee cart at Life West after she graduated from high school, and has held several positions in the bookstore, Health Center and library ever since; 27 years later, she now holds the position of Circulation Supervisor in the Learning Commons. In 2000, Gerry's son, Don, graduated from Life West as the campus transitioned from its San Lorenzo roots to a state-of-the-art campus in Hayward; a month later, Don's first child, Skylar, was born. Don and his little family moved to Costa Rica, where his first son, Cameron, was born, and later to Spain, where his second son, Xander, was born. They returned to the United States eventually, settling in Redmond, Washington. In 2005, Gerry's daughter, Lauren, graduated from Life West. After a short stint in Costa Rica with her brother, Lauren opened a practice in Oakland, California, where she served for 12 years before returning to Life West as Health Center faculty. Along the way her daughter Kaiya was born, and today Lauren serves as the Dean of Clinical Operations of the Health Center at Life West. To say that Life West as been woven into the very fabric of the Clum family is a bit of an understatement; what Gerry built has been part of their hearts and home forever. In December of this year, Gerry's first grandchild, Skylar, will graduate from Life University, nearly 50 years to the day that he graduated from Palmer. 

Gerry's commitment to loving service contributed to his career success and impact, as well as to his life success and impact. He was an incredible partner and provider to Cathy, building a beautiful family with her that was an immense source of pride for him. He loved celebrating his family's successes big and small, and was always his kids' biggest cheerleader. He was dependable, trustworthy, resourceful, loving, supportive, and so very goofy and funny. He had the best laugh - a hearty, cacophonous sound that was contagious. He loved hand-written notes; his words of support and encouragement always hit just right, and were exactly what the recipient needed, every time. And he was so very intelligent - he always said that he was lucky to know a little bit about a lot of things, but anyone that knew him also knew how humble he was. The man was absolutely brilliant - he had a near photographic memory and an incredible ability to break down abstract or complex ideas into understandable, consumable parts - he made things just make sense. And he won at Jeopardy every. single. time. 

Gerry / Dad / Opa was so very loved. He will be greatly missed, and those that love him trust that he is running easily and freely, unencumbered by joint, sight or kidney problems, laughing it up with his dad and mom, Cam and Audrey, as he resides in our hearts forevermore.

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