A beloved husband, brother, father, and grandfather, Jerry Wolk of Dunwoody passed away on December 31, 2014. He was born in New York City on February 12, 1935 to parents Tillie and Aaron, and is survived by his wife Penny Hamond-Wolk; two older brothers Irwin (and his wife Anita) and Stanley; sons Maurey and Steven; stepchildren Nina Hafitz and Jeff Hamond; and grandchildren Madison and Rylee Hafitz and Sivana and Ilan Hamond. Jerry was very much loved by his family and thought of by all as being a "gentle giant," easy and gracious in manner and always ready to listen, offer a calming word, or pull a coin out of your ear. He was giving to others to such an extent that he was embarrassed to ever need care or attention from others. Penny says that he was the kindest, most loving man she has ever met. In total, they were together for 45 years and married for 18 of them. People who don't know them may wonder why this is. The actual truth is that they were engaged for 25 years, and the supposed 25th engagement anniversary party was in actuality a surprise wedding that caught all of their friends and family (except the children) totally off-guard. One of Nina and Jeff's favorite childhood memories is that Jerry loved to tinker with things and fix them, taking them apart and putting them back together. He used to love fixing broken toasters and transistor radios and toys. His dream was actually to run a small repair shop, where people would bring him their broken small appliances and electronics and he would repair them. He also loved collecting stamps and probably secretly hoped to be a world-reknowned philatelist. Instead, Jerry build a career in insurance and risk management. He was an insurance salesman from New York who came to Atlanta in the late 1970s to follow in Penny's footsteps. He worked for companies such as Polysius, American International Group, and ACE Insurance Group, where he rose to the level of Vice President. For his stepchildren Nina and Jeff, Jerry has been in their lives since 1970 -- when Nina was 9 and Jeff was 3 -- and each stepchild thinks of him just as they would a blood relative. Jerry was at every important family function, graduation, wedding, Bar Mitzvah, etc., and both Nina and Jeff considered him a third parent of equal standing. He was loved just as a father would be loved. While Jerry was very much a part of Nina and Jeff’s lives, he built a strong extended family as Maurey and Steven were growing up. Many happy long weekends were spent in upstate New York, and all of his children and stepchildren have fond memories of vacations together as one family. As Jerry’s family grew and as his children and stepchildren built families of their own, Jerry made every new family member feel special and loved. He will be missed by all. Penny and Jerry were very early congregants of Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta. A memorial service was held at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs on January 4, 2015. Donations in Jerry's memory may be made to the American Heart Association, the Smile Train, or Southern Poverty Law Center. Jerry and his family have been longtime supporters of these charities.
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