JoAnn Erhart Kerr

KERR, JOANN ERHART

JoAnn “Jody” Erhart Kerr passed away peacefully at her home on June 25, 2014. Her loving husband, Jim, was by her side as he had been for the past 68 years.

Jody came into this world on July 17, 1926 in Los Angeles, CA. She is survived by her husband, James W. Kerr, daughters Patti (Bill) Horan, Betsy (Stephen) Lis, granddaughters Eileen Horan, Beth (Kris) Shaw and Amber Lis, grandsons Kevin (Kathy) Yankton and Bill (Kelly) Horan and six great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by daughter Kathy Kerr Yankton, grand-daughter Kate Horan, brother, Dr. Robert “Gus” Erhart and her parents Dr. Clarence H. and Maxine Erhart.

She and “Jimmy” met at Presbyterian Church Camp Arbolado when she was 14 and he was 16 years old. She graduated from USC Dental School in 1945 with a degree in dental hygiene and was a member of Alpha Kai Omega Sorority. She worked in her father’s dental office in Avalon on Catalina Island. When Jimmy returned from active duty in June of 1946, he took the first ferry to Catalina Island and asked for her hand in marriage. They were married six weeks later on August 2, 1946 in Los Angeles, CA. They lived both in Avalon and Los Angeles while Jimmy finished his Engineering degree. Then they moved to his hometown of Ocean Beach, San Diego. She continued working for various dentists in San Diego until an early retirement in 1976.

Jody’s favorite activity was swimming. She swam almost daily either in the bay or the pool at the San Diego Yacht Club, where they have been members for over 50 years. Someone finally put in a ladder off the end of their slip on H Dock so she could more easily get out of the bay. She eventually convinced Jimmy to put in a backyard pool about 30 years ago and it has been enjoyed ever since.

Jody was also passionate about playing bridge. She was active in the “Bridgedeckers” Bridge group at the San Diego Yacht Club and would play with other friends whenever possible.

Jody loved to travel. She and Jim were always off in their boat the “Arbolado” or in their motorhome traveling across the country, visiting every state in the continental United States. She also loved to fly and daughter Kathy was a flight attendant on United Airlines. One bonus for airline employee’s parents was the ability to fly on United at a reduced cost, space available. They spent many hours in the terminal area waiting for their name to be called, which it almost always was. They often joked they could fly anywhere, but just couldn’t stay very long. She flew with Kathy on several occasions to the Far East on flights when Kathy was working, staying with Kathy and the other “girls” at their hotel. She enjoyed cruising with friends and family and took the whole family on cruise trips to Mexico and Alaska where she could travel, play cards, swim and be with her family all at the same time!

But the one thing she valued above all else was her family. Many of her travels centered around visiting the family members that had wandered out of San Diego, or organizing gathering in San Diego, Hawaii, Catalina, or wherever she wanted to be.

Her birthday was always cause for big celebrations and she insisted it go over many days or weeks, a ritual we all loved. When she organized the annual H dock party, it was always held on the weekend closest to her birthday, a tradition that remains to this day.

Her support for Rady Children’s Hospital was evident through her many years in the La Playa Unit Auxiliary, where she served as Chairman in 1981-82. She was also a supporter of the USC Trojan League and spent many years volunteering as a Girl Scout Leader.

She will be greatly missed and remembered in our hearts forever.

A Memorial Service will be held at 3:30 pm on her birthday, July 17th, at the Pt. Loma Community Presbyterian Church, with a reception immediately following. Gifts of Remembrance can be made to either Rady Children’s Hospital (www.helpsdkids.org) or the San Diego Blood Bank (sandiegobloodbank.org).