Jerry Edwin Gomes

Jerry Edwin Gomes of Merced passed away Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at the age of 89. He was born on August 4, 1927 in Gustine, California. He was the oldest of four sons to his parents Joe P. and Rose Gomes and was a very proud graduate of Gustine High School. On October 2, 1949, Jerry married

Dorothy Pavao also of Gustine, California. They rode the same bus in elementary school and he fell in love the first time he laid eyes on her because she had freckles on her nose like he did. They were married for 56 years until Dorothy passed away in 2005. They have two sons Steven Gomes and Jerry Gomes, Jr..

Jerry grew up in a house his grandparents built on the family dairy, where he started milking cows by hand at the age of 12. His childhood memories included the fun he had at the Gustine festa, swimming in the irrigation ditches, day trips for picnics in Monterey and the foothills of the coast ranges, and riding in the 4th of July parade. He continued those activities with his own family. Jerry and his brother Richard Gomes formed a partnership to start a dairy on a rented farm in Gustine. Taking a big financial risk, in 1962 they purchased their own dairy on Mission Avenue in Merced. Jerry and Richard milked the cows while their sons Steve and Richard Jr. did the outside work. They sold the dairy in 1969 and Jerry went to work for Parker’s Hardware. However, he is known by most people for his next job as manager at Bernie’s Liquors, where he was a loyal employee for 25 years. Following Bernie’s, Jerry worked as a courier at the Merced Bank of Commerce and later became WestAmerica Bank. He loved that job and his colleagues. His last job was at McLain-Pacific as a security guard coordinating the hundreds of trucks delivering goods to the warehouse. He retired at the age of 75. Throughout his life, he spent most of his free time after

work and on weekends pursuing his love of gardening and growing fruit and nut trees on his 19-acre farm on Childs Avenue, where he lived for 46 years. He and Dorothy surrounded themselves with good friends and family and they frequently hosted big meals and gatherings in their welcoming home.

Jerry was a joyous person with a warm, friendly smile. He especially loved spending time with his family. He was a doting and proud grandfather and great-grandfather, who found joy in every moment he spent with the grandkids. He would talk about his sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to everyone who would listen. Jerry savored the opportunities he had to travel and learn, including a special trip he took to Washington DC where he toured the West Wing of the White House.

In 2002, he lost the function of his kidneys and required weekly dialysis sessions. He was told the average dialysis patient lives five years; Jerry lived for 15 years after his diagnosis. He endured over 9,000 hours in a chair having his blood filtered by the dialysis machines, and was determined to be an example of how following the prescribed diet and being diligent allows you to beat the average. Jerry wanted his life to provide hope to other dialysis patients.

Jerry is preceded in death by his wife Dorothy Gomes who passed away September 9, 2005, his parents Joseph P. and Rose Gomes, and brothers Richard and Ernie Gomes. He is survived by his brother Joseph and sister-in-law Margaret Gomes; sister-in-law Irene Gomes, son Steven and daughter-in-law Victoria

Gomes (Randrup), son Jerry Jr. and daughter-in-law Rebecca Gomes (Daniell); grandson Steven Nicholas Gomes, granddaughter Melissa Alison Johns (Gomes) and her husband Nathan Johns; grandson Jerry E. Gomes III and his wife Jennifer Gomes, and great-grandchildren Charlotte Mae and Augustus Jerry Johns.

A visitation with the family from 5-7 pm with the Rosary said at 7 pm will take place on Thursday, July 27 at Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home located at 1490 B. Street, Merced California. A funeral mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church at 671 E. Yosemite Ave, Merced California at 10:00 AM on

Friday, July 28, with a reception immediately following at the St. Patrick’s Parish Hall. Internment will take place on Saturday, July 29 at the Hills-Ferry Cemetery in Crows Landing, CA at 9:00 AM.

The family wishes to thank Jerry’s many doctors, nurses and caregivers for the loving care they gave to Jerry over the years. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to honor Jerry send donations in his memory to the National Kidney Foundation, 131 Steurt Street, Suite 425, San Francisco.

Arrangements under the direction of Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home, Merced, CA.