Gerald Kroshus

Gerald Kroshus, age 80, of Decorah, IA passed away on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at his home in Decorah. Funeral Services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 8, 2023, at Big Canoe Lutheran Church, 1381 Big Canoe Road, rural Decorah with Rev. David Werges presiding. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, 2023, at the Helms Funeral Home, 604 South Ave in Decorah and also after 10:00 a.m. at the church Monday morning. Gerald Clinton Kroshus was born at 7:30 am, September 27, 1942 in Decorah. He attended Highlandville country school and graduated from Decorah High in 1960. Gerry worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for 32 years, retiring in 1996, but started adult life by attending Iowa State University and then working several jobs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa including driving school bus, working in a milk crate factory before landing a job at Collins Radio Company, now known as Rockwell Collins. In 1964, Gerry married Carole Rita Trehus, of Spring Grove, Minnesota and later that year joined the U.S. Army, becoming a member of the Signal Corps. In late 1964, Carole gave birth to the first of their two sons, Jay Charles, with Adam Nicholas arriving in April, 1969. That experience at Collins Radio and the Signal Corps helped Gerry get hired as a GS-9 with the USDA, in 1965, as a nighttime computer operator in Kansas City, Kansas. While listening to baseball games on the radio at work, Gerry began his lifetime devotion to both the, then, Kansas City Athletics and the Kansas City Chiefs. Career and promotion brought Gerry to Minneapolis during the late 1960s and then eventually to the USDA Washington DC offices in 1972. Through consistent promotion, Gerry rose to the Senior Executive Service level of civil-service government employment. After divorce, Gerry began dating Vernoe Whitaker in 1983, who became his lifetime partner. Vern helped Gerry every day, shepherding him through the final years, days and minutes of life. During his career in Washington DC, the farm-boy from Highlandville was never far from his soul as he purchased a horse farm in Northern Virginia and began filling his life and time with cabin-cruiser boats and classic cars, primarily Ford Thunderbirds and old classic Chevrolets. Several years after retirement, Gerry and Vern moved to Decorah where the pair became integral parts of the community and Big Canoe Church, where Gerry was baptized and confirmed. Gerry and Vern loved to laugh, go out to dinner, frequently visiting Highlandville, North Carolina, Chicago and the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auctions in Arizona and watching Iowa Hawkeye sporting events on television, much to the bewilderment of Gerry’s sons, who both graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Few things gave Gerry more joy than living in Northeast Iowa, connecting the past with the present, driving his classic vehicles in many of the town parades in and around the area. Gerry is survived by lifetime partner, Vern. Sons: Jay, Placitas, NM; Adam, Los Angeles, CA; Grandchildren: Abiah, Nikolas, Evelyn Kroshus. Siblings: Vickie Kroshus, Richfield, MN; Bruce (Margo) Kroshus, Oronoco, MN. Vern’s Brothers: Joseph (Doris) Whitaker, Atlanta, GA; Milton (Portia) Whitaker, Durham, NC; Lorenza (Veronica) Whitaker, Warrensburg, MO; Dennis (Janet) Whitaker, Halifax, NC. Jerry is also survived by nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents: Forrest and Evelyn (Strinmoen) and grandson, Miles. He will be missed.