Roger Gerst

Roger Warren Gerst of Silver Spring, Maryland passed away on April 1, 2025 at 73. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Arlene Golomb Gerst, three children, Matthew (Jennifer), Jonathan (Lisa) and Elyssa (Nathan), two stepchildren, Julius and Avi (Samantha), and five grandchildren, Daniel, Ethan, Benjamin, Lyla, and Quinn. His first wife was Joy Gerst, with whom he had three children. He met Arlene through the Jewish Social Service Agency.

He served in the White House for President Gerald R. Ford where he helped lead efforts to offer clemency to conscientious objectors after the Vietnam War. He then began a career in real estate where he spent more than 30 years in development, leasing, sales brokerage, and marketing millions of square feet of commercial and retail space throughout the Washington, D.C. metro region and surrounding areas. He was an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), including Chairman of the ICSC Maryland Government Relations Committee.

Roger was born in Patterson, New Jersey and raised in Clifton, New Jersey by his parents, Leon and Sylvia, and with his brothers, Eric (Carol) and Bob (Angela). He attended The George School (Newtown, Pennsylvania), earned his bachelor’s at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio) and his MBA at Cornell University (Ithaca, New York).

Roger loved the outdoors, biking, traveling, driving, art, music, games, politics, and talking about world events. After moving to The Leisure World retirement community, he served on several boards and committees, providing valuable expertise from his real estate career. He dedicated his free time to his role as the family historian and, above all, his family was most important to him. He will be missed.