David Eugene Gerner

David was born at home in Lowell, Indiana to his parents, Gladys and Ted Gerner, on February 17, 1944. He grew up playing sports and shooting groundhogs with his brother Bud and his sister Jean. His fiery red hair and prominent ears earned him first place in the Howdy Doody look-alike contest. At Lowell High School, he was an All-State football halfback and scored five touchdowns in one game.

In 1967, he enlisted in the Army and served his country overseas in Vietnam. He then returned to his home state to graduate from Indiana University, where he met his first wife, Elizabeth. David and Elizabeth moved to Miami, Florida in the early 1970s, where they ran the Doral Travel Agency.

They welcomed their three children, Ashley, Ben, and Jillian and raised them in their home on Minorca. Throughout their childhood, David attended countless soccer, football, volleyball, lacrosse, and softball games. He paced the sidelines, yelled at the referees (and sometimes the coaches), and shouted encouragement to his three favorite kids. He coached all of our soccer teams, cooked us pancakes and corned beef hash, and took us fishing every weekend. He taught us to ride our bikes, bait our hooks, steer our boats, park our cars, aim our pool cues, bake our almond rolls, and shoot the moon.

In 2011, he moved to Texas to start the next chapter of his life. He married his lifetime fishing partner Judith and found his true calling on the ranch, being a wrangler alongside his son Ben and their Charolais cattle.

We will remember David for his sense of humor and his outrageous pranks, his pride in his children and grandchildren, and his sharp wit and curiosity. He will be missed by his three children: Ashley Gerner (husband Jeff and daughter Charlotte), Ben Gerner, and Jillian Sheppard (husband Colin and daughters Ruby and Cora), and his wife, Judith Gerner.

Services will take place Saturday, July 20th, 2019 at 3:00pm in the Sunset Chapel of Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the VFW Post 3893.

Arrangements are under the direction of Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors, Nacogdoches.