Born in Latta, South Carolina in 1934 as the second of four siblings, he won state honors in 4-H for public speaking (class of ’51) before attending Clemson A&M College (then an all male military institution) for three years where he won national honors. In 1954 he was called to the California Mission, which at that time included Phoenix, Arizona.
A fascinating tangent is that Ephraim Larson and a nephew Evan went on church missions to the Southern States in 1916 where a connection with the Guests and the Weatherfords was made. Dad’s aunt Lila (Guest) later became good friends with Ephraim’s wife Faye. Mom said that Aunt Lila was always talking about her amazing nephew, Gerald. Their courtship was mostly by letter and phone.
He went to college at Utah State University, for ’56-’57, and rushed to Phoenix where he married Mom on June 3rd. He did basic training at Fort Ord for the remaining six months of ’57.
They then moved to Los Angeles where he went to Cleveland Chiropractic for three years, graduating in 1960. During that time he also worked for Rapid Blueprint as a motorcycle courier.
In 1961 he began practice in Phoenix in the Chiropractic office of Ephraim Larson and in ‘63 opened his own office on 7th street north of Glendale. He developed a reputation for an extraordinary level of care and the most advanced techniques.
During the 60’s he also applied the most advanced techniques to drag racing, reveling in the unexpected contrast between being a doctor and a motorhead.
From 1961 to 1975 he had six children, retiring from professional healthcare in 1980 after 20 years.
He handled legal documents as an officer of the courts for several years before joining Operator’s Local #12 running heavy equipment. In 1994 he received his commercial drivers license and began long haul trucking, fulfilling a lifelong passion to know the country from corner to corner. He retired from driving in 2005.
Gerald was known by all for his passionate enthusiasm and high energy. His unorthodox freethinking made for many extraordinary experiences and wild tales, and he was unnaturally stoic in failure and setbacks. He could be depended on for his unceasing generosity and good spirits, and these qualities were distilled in his age. As a grandfather to 13 and more he always had a big grin and off the wall wisdom. Everyone was his favorite.
We are grateful to him for his dogged devotion to our family, his steady mood, his southern humor and jargon, and his urging to be personally responsible freethinkers and lifelong learners, for making us believe it was within our grasp to do anything we wanted as well as anyone else, and for growing up in a substance free, secure home where it was easy to take a lot of things for granted. We are grateful that we had a dad that we were always proud to introduce to our friends.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 3rd , 2 pm, at 11650 N. 35th Avenue, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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