He is preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Shirley Wood Gerhart. Also preceding him in death are his siblings, Phillip Gerhart, Bert Coleman Gerhart Jr., Robert Gerhart, Josephine James, and Frances McDaniel.
Together the couple had two children, Gregory Jack Gerhart and Connie Gerhart Crutchfield. He was best known as “Pawpaw” to his four grandchildren, Melanie Flynn (Brad), Shannon, Schmitz (Alex), Taylor Crutchfield, and Destiny Walker (Kent). He had six precious great-grandchildren, Macie and Colin Flynn, Sophia and Lukas Schmitz, and Kyntlee and Kynadee Walker.
Jack was born in Columbus, Mississippi to the late Bert and Hazel Gerhart. He was a graduate of S.D. Lee High School in Columbus Mississippi. Jack enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1949, after obtaining the first-ever perfect score on the preliminary recruiting IQ test. He then became the first, once again, by making the highest score ever recorded in the state of Mississippi for the regular recruiting IQ test. In 1952, Sgt. First Class Jack Gerhart then became a member of the Alabama National Guard until his discharge in 1956. After marriage, Jack and Shirley resided in Lancaster, CA., and Garland, TX.
Bringing them closer to home, the couple eventually settled in Birmingham, Alabama, where Jack began a job for Honeywell as a service technician. He held this position for 30 years before retirement. Jack stayed busy by volunteering at the Southern Flight Museum in Birmingham. He loved to visit the local library and check out a good read. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, the game of solitaire, and watching a good Western on the television. He was a faithful member of Church on the Bluff, in Hoover, Alabama.
Funeral services for Jack will be on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at 11:00 am at Ridout’s Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham, Alabama. The family will receive friends from 10-11 am at the funeral home. Burial with military honors will follow the service at 2:00 pm at Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, Alabama. Pallbearers will be Scott Gerhart, Bert Gerhart III, Pat James, JB Gerhart, Stuart Gerhart, and Trey Gerhart.
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