I met Joe when I was working for a golfshaft company. Joe watched over my shoulder as I was CAD modeling some test tooling and asked if I could help with his Carve Board. We spent a lot of time together, golfed several rounds, visited several suppliers and got production started.  I was fortunate to do the initial engineering & help him start this business and grow it into a brand. His experience in so many areas was amazing. I got to  actually sit on the unibike, that was quite an experience, must have been pretty amazing to see him driving it. We reconnected a few years later and revised some of the models, I remember Joe hitting my crooked golf shaft and how much he enjoyed golfing and how proud he was of his family. You all should be proud of his accomplishments, Joe was up there with the best. 

I think I have some of the early pieces; Please contact me at sholson61@gmail.com if interested.

Joe “Pops” Gerr 

What a life - filled with endless adventure and stories - blessed to be on the receiving end on 
 of many (ref. picture attached) 

He was so proud of Brad and their surfing adventures and achievements together. The way Joe broke down the art of surfing was detailed, precise and to the point. He either loved your surfing or didn’t… backing up his reasons for both with accuracy similar to that of his Olympic level diving skill set. I respected his knowledge, honesty and humour. 

When Brad & Joe were together, it was two best mates diving into their endless good times together. Joe meant the world to Brad, Anna, Zep & Ziggy. He was so proud of the family man / Dad chapter Brad is currently writing. To witness the family unit Anna & Brad have created, he knew the Gerlach legacy was in good hands with Ziggy & Zep. I imagine that’s all you want to see for your kids as a father - your little fella (best mate) with a family of his own… 
Joe  got to see just that… before taking his final dive. What an amazing chapter for him to close the book on. 

Joe - You finally get to ride that carve board park in the clouds. x 

It is wonderful to see what a celebration and joy your life has been, the legacy you leave behind and the family who continue to bear your name, face and heart.

Our deepest sympathies to his heartbroken family Brad, Corrinne; Anna; Zep and Ziggy. 

Much love - Maree, Jason, Soon and Hana

My husband and I became friends with Joe in 1977. Friendship quickly became family.  We traveled the same Car Show World of Wheels circuit together for a few years.  We had a 69 ElCamino semi custom, Joe was the weekend celebrity, jumping off the top of a civic center/hotel and landing on his “mattress “.  With Joe’s performance, a loud “boom” would go off as soon as he hit the mattress.  Imagine his face hearing the explosion going off a good 10 seconds after landing.  If you know Joe…..you know. Joe spend many holidays with my family. A call was always expected from Joe to make sure his place at the dinner table was reserved. Thanksgiving or Christmas. One Christmas Joe gifted my mother a porcelain figurine that he has won in a diving competition in Hungary. She treasured it. He was so loving to her. After mother’s passing, I sent the trophy to Bradley.  One visit from Joe, he disappeared to the back bathroom.  He came out 30 minutes later.  Laughing down the hall way.  He had shaven off his beard and mustache.  Then commented, “now I remember why I grew it.  I don’t have a chin”!!!!  Visiting him often in Newport and spending afternoons at the Beach Ball.  On this visit they announced the passing of Elvis.  Many Pismo Beach trips, camping in the high sierras, or just dog piling at the house, we loved every second of it.  Thank you for leaving us so many memories, we could fill a book.  Rest easy.  Never ever forgotten. Never.  I miss your phone calls.  Calls that ended with I love you.  So, here goes.   I love you

Thank you for accepting me into your family, treating me like your own and blessing me with your endless amounts of kindness and love.  Thank you for checking in on me when Brad was away to make sure I was ok,  I miss the cute texts from you and hearing your happy voice every time we spoke, I will save and cherish the many beautiful photos & messages from you forever.  I will miss hearing you say "hi big boy to Brad" and getting a boost to my self esteem thanks to your  compliments.  I will miss our regular breakfast facetime calls where you always said "Hi Zappy, It's your Grandpa!",  which he mimics perfectly now. Im sorry we didn't get to take you to Bali for your 82nd  Birthday as we had planned.  I wish we had more time.  Thank you for showing me the boundless amounts of pride and love of a papa & coach towards his son, this has made Brad one of the most stylish surfers of our time but most importantly has everything to do with making him the most amazing loving father to your grandkids & loving husband to me.  You will always live in him thanks to the connection between you both.  The similarities you share with Brad both mentally and physically made it easy to love you and extremely difficult to say good bye.  Im sad and my heart is hurting but I know you are up there looking out for us now.  Thank you for everything,  I couldn't have asked for a better father in law.  Rest in Power Papa Joe <3    

How I came to know Joe,

I first saw Joe over fifty years ago as he was performing his high dive routine at Circus Circus in Las Vegas. I was just a little boy and my parents would travel to Vegas twice a year for as long as I could remember. We would also spend time at Circus Circus. I used to remember watching Joe and being mesmerized by this super human feat. After a while I never saw Joe perform there again but always wondered what came of him. As I got older I never forgot about him. Three years ago when my wife and I moved to Vegas the memory of Joe returned yet again. So, I took it upon myself to find out who this mystery man was. Keep in mind up until this point I never even know his name. So after endless research online I finally found a name and that led me to finding Brad. I sent an email to brad who then forwarded it to Joe's friend Greg who also lives in the Vegas area. We connected and shared stories. Greg invited me to go to visit Joe in California and I was finally able to meet Joe, my childhood legend. I am so blessed that was was able to meet and talk with Jumpin' Joe after 50 years. I am so glad I got to meet him before he passed. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends. Joe lived such an amazing life and inspired so many people with his talent and personality. Joe will live on in all of our memories and his legacy will go on forever.


A few days ago we lost a Very Special human that made a Huge impact on me throughout the last many years. Joe Gerlach - father to one of my very best friends on the planet - became almost a second dad to me as I worked for him helping to promote his brilliant invention of the CarveBoard/ CarveStik over the last couple decades. During this time I witnessed a unique Loving and Special relationship between he and his son Brad .... hearing countless stories back and forth of one another with humor and funny stories included that only a Gerlach could tell you  ( If you know Brad you know exactly what I mean Lol ) sharing a deep sense of Love and respect for one another and reminding myself of my relationship with my dad. Joe was infact a bit of a tough cookie at first for me to get close to .... I had to prove myself to him that I wasn't just a full of fluff kook - he was a " put your actions first " kind of guy ( like my dad ) and after initially completely flailing to ride his new invention of a CarveBoard -( I still uncontrollably knee slap laugh when Brad tells the story of my first day meeting his dad and Trying to ride the board lol )  Anyway .... I wasn't off to a very good start. I eventually thankfully mastered his invention as well as gained his respect and friendship and over time really really became close to the man. I Dearly Miss Joe ... and I continually pray for my wonderful Friend Brad and Family during these very tough times ... I pray for Love and Peace in abundance and am so Grateful God brought the Gerlach family into my life years back. Joe was a brilliant inventor, a visionary, a dreamer, an amazing athlete, an amazing coach , a style master, a comedian , a great father , a great friend , a driven man who was a complete honor to work for. Joe Gerr - RIP SIR ... you are forever loved and missed and I will always be grateful for the many invaluable lessons of life you taught me. It's a great thing that Brad can impersonate you and your mannerisms so 

Joe Performing at Circus Circus Las Vegas.

One of my earliest memories was of seeing my dad jump from Circus Circus in Las Vegas, I think I was 3 1/2. I remember them announcing his act over the loud speaker, he was a super star so I tried to remember the words and re enact the whole thing at home for when guests came over. Another memory is when the movie Casino came out my dad and I went to see it. We went to the movies together a lot and he would always tell me if he thought stuff was B.S, but this wasn't the case with this movie. He then  told me a story of a mobster wanting to garnish his wage. He told him it was fine if he gave him a raise. The guy said no, and he said to go f*** himself. Then one night after one of his dives at Circus Circus he was gambling and having a drink when he noticed two thugs waiting around and looking at him. He decided it was best to stay all night and waited until morning to leave. He finished the story saying he played golf with one of the big mobster's and mentioned to him about it and then never heard about it again. My dad had so much courage and would never kiss ass. For instance, during the beginning of coaching me when I first started going to Hawaii and paying my dues by getting dropped in on by locals, he told me to drop in on them or else I would never get any respect. I said it didn't work like that and he got annoyed with me and sort of thought I was a p***y haha.  Then over time he learned that I had a better way of gaining respect and eventually agreed I did it the right way. I have so many memories I could never put them all here but I just want to say that I would not be the man or athlete I am today without his guidance and support. He went way beyond to support me. He spent so much time with me, talking with me, and I know he loved me so much. I could always feel it from him and I can still feel it. Nearly every photo I have of him and I he is touching me. I love that and am so grateful. I feel like one of the luckiest sons to have ever lived. 

I've known Joe for 60 years and he's one of my best friends and consider him part of our family.  Joe defected from Hungary after placing fourth in the 1956 Olympic Games for 10 meter platform diving, graduated from University of Michigan, coached Olympic divers, jumped from high places into a sponge at events all over the country, produced Laser Light Shows, guided his son, Brad, on developing the art of surfing, started Carveboard Sports, and loved to play golf.  For the last many years we've talked on the phone weekly.  I will miss his calls and unique perspective on a variety of topics, including discussing his next ideas.  Joe we will love and remember you always, Rest in Peace.

Joe was one of my first diving coaches along with Jack Roth.  I remember being in Las Vegas watching Joe dive from 100 feet at Circus Circus!
Joe loved golf and we played golf a few times.  He was really good and studied it!  We were supposed to play and I didn't hear from him so I called and Corinne called me back to tell me that Joe had had a stroke.  Damn…unfortunately he never recovered from that.  He loved to talk about the “Carveboard” he created and his daughter Corinne and his famous surfing son, Brad.
Joe was a lot of fun and he will certainly be missed by those whose lives he touched.  RIP

OBITUARY

Jozsef Gerlach

October 28, 1938 – August 18, 2021

Draper Mortuary

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