Gary Kerr's Obituary
Gary Kerr, age 72, of Danville passed away peacefully on Sunday October 6th 2019 due to health complications. He was constantly surrounded by his family and friends giving him love and support every day, making sure he was as comfortable as possible. Gary was born on April 3rd, 1947. He was a bay area native who grew up in Castro Valley with his father James, his mother Rose, and his brother Bradley where his family originally had a chicken farm. He attended Earl Warren and A.B. Morris middle schools and was a graduate of Castro Valley High School in 1965 where he earned four varsity letters in track, three letters in basketball, and two letters in football. He was a three-time Hayward Area Athletic League champion in the 120-yard hurdles and a two-time league champion in both the low hurdles and long jump, setting CVHS records in all three events. Kerr was also part of the league-champion 440-yard relay team. In football, he was an all Hayward Area Athletic League wide receiver, and in basketball, he was an honorable mention all-league center. Gary was also a trumpet and baritone player for various school bands from the fourth grade through high school. Being a musician helped him get into the then packed CVHS which had a better music program at the time than Foothill High where he was originally intended to go. He is a member of the Castro Valley High School Hall of Fame. Kerr continued his education and athletic prowess at Chabot College from 1965-67, where he earned his AA degree in Physical Education, ran for the track team, and played as a wide receiver and defensive back for the football team. He set Chabot school records in the 120-yard high hurdles and the 330-yard and 440-yard intermediate hurdles. He broke the Northern California Junior College track meet record in the high hurdles and finished second in the 330-yard intermediates at the Junior College State Track Meet. Gary is a member of the Chabot College Hall of Fame. He then went on to further continue his education and athletic prowess at Cal Poly State University from 1967-69, where he earned his BA degree in Physical Education. He continued to run track and play as a wide receiver for the football team. Kerr became the CCAA champion in high hurdles and was considering training for the U.S. Olympic Team decathlon, before accepting an offer to play as wide receiver for the Chicago Bears. He went on to play one year with the Chicago bears in 1971 and then played one year for the Calgary Stampeders in 1972.After his football career, Kerr became a fireman for the Novato Fire Department and moved to Danville in 1983. He proudly served as a fireman the northern bay area for 26 years from 1976 to 2002. During his retirement, even though his football, basketball, and track days were behind him, he loved watching sports live in person, on television, or online. He primarily watched football, golf, and basketball supporting the Golden State Warriors and Stanford basketball teams. Throughout his life, he was also known for being an avid golfer and water skier in addition to his other sports experience. In his retirement days, he focused more on spending time with family and friends, improving his golf game and trying out new things like riding motorcycles and hang gliding. When he wasn’t doing anything physical or sports related, Gary enjoyed editing photos, creating videos, and creating animations on his computer. Gary is survived by his wife Nancy, his sons Marty and Christopher, his step children Eric and Tiffany, and his grandchildren Nathan, Noah, Grace, Taylor, Lomasi, Addison, Elijah. He also had a son named Adam who sadly passed away in 2012. Gary was a kind, generous, and loving man with a very big heart who always took care of his family, and in turn, he had family and friends who stuck by his side until the end. Gary was a devoted husband, a loving father, a great friend, and an amazing person all around. He will be forever loved and forever missed.There will be a memorial service and a celebration of life for Gary at the San Ramon Golf Club (Golf Course) 9430 Fircrest Ln, San Ramon, CA 94582 on Sunday Oct 27th 2019 from 12pm-4pm.[We ask solicitors and realtors to please have respect and do not contact the family regarding products, services, or real estate. Thank you.]
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