Gerry McDade

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July 19, 2022

There are so many memories of Gerry, most of which involve adventures and fun things with the kids. Like the day when Sawyer and a bunch of boys were at our house and Gerry shows up, unexpected and unannounced, on his motorcycle with the side car. He... more

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July 18, 2022 · via iPhone

We called him Gerry Dangerous. It was one of the first times on my own, at my mother’s house, with my young boys in Edgemont. Gerry rambled up to the house on the 4th of July. I hadn’t known him and since it was mother’s house, I figured she must... more

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July 16, 2022 · via mobile

I had the pleasure of riding with gerry during my 5 years at ASU. We had many conversation and fun times. This was the old crew that traveled to races as we followed him in his alfa Rameo and bike in the back seat. RIP my friend.

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July 16, 2022

I don’t remember days, but I do remember moments. I have several moments I can recall over the past 51 plus years when I first met Gerry at Aurora University. We were roommates and became good friends. We both had a common core of interests that we... moreI don’t remember days, but I do remember moments. I have several moments I can recall over the past 51 plus years when I first met Gerry at Aurora University. We were roommates and became good friends. We both had a common core of interests that we shared. We shared a passion for the outdoors and cars. We both loved the outdoors, and we were able to run trails, hike and camp together. In regard to sport cars, Gerry had a 1968 Datsun 2000 (grey in color), and I had a 1969 MGB (yellow in color). It was not uncommon for us during the Chicago winters to be seen driving our cars all bundled up with the tops down and snowing. We spent many hours together touring the back roads of Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky and NC in those cars. We attended several of the British Car Rallies and Cross-Country Road Races in Wisconsin. We admired those Little British Cars (LBCs) racing against time and each other. We both dreamed about participating in those races but being college students, we did not have the money. However, we both dreamed big.

After receiving our diplomas, we along with another good friend, Odie Washington, enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY. Gerry and I packed up our cars with all of our possessions and drove to KY to begin work on our master’s degree. Ky was much closer to home (NC) for Gerry, so we spent many times visiting some of his famous hang outs like Wilson Creek, Grandfather Mountain and Mt. Mitchell. It was during this time that I learned how much Gerry was into the outdoors. He appeared to be one with Mother Nature. On one occasion as we were driving the back roads of KY, Gerry came to a sudden stop which was not unusual since he often stopped to admire the landscape, scenery or a deer running across the field. Anyway, he exited from his car, stopped traffic, walked over and picked up a turtle. He carried it to the side of the road and gently let it go. I said to myself, more people need to follow Gerry’s example for the appreciation of our environment.

I visited him on several occasions in the NC mountains where he educated me to his world of waterfalls, streams and mountain roads with beautiful vistas’. He was most at home hiking, running trails and bicycle road racing. I recall a road trip we took to New England. We visited Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, and the White Mountains where we hiked the Hut to Hut Trail. It was at Bar Harbor after eating mass quantities of claims/lobster that we discovered Gerry was allergic to shellfish. I had to transport him to the local hospital in the middle of the night where he received a vaccine to deal with the reactions. Just one of many of stories and good memories collected over the years.

I will say it has been several years since I last saw Gerry. No excuses other than to say that “life” got in the way with career, job transfers, marriage, everyday chores, responsibilities and obligations. For that, I am regretful for not taking time out to visit a dear old friend. I truly miss the old boy. He was joy to be around, and we shared many great times together.
The best way to sum up Gerry from my perspective is based upon the following quote (don’t recall the source but it goes something like this: “I would rather have a lifetime of experiences than a house full of stuff”. I think this fits my friend Gerry perfectly.

Gerry, there is an old saying used in the US Navy that reads as follows – “may you have fair winds and following seas”. It is an expression wishing a person a safe and smooth journey. Gerry, may you have fair winds and following seas into the next world. Love you and will miss you a bunch.
God Bless
Steve less

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July 16, 2022 · via iPhone

I met Gerry in ‘89 at the height of his cycling passion. Showing up at a group ride in Lenoir one night, Gerry immediately adopted me &became my first cycling ‘coach’. Over the next few years we traveled to numerous bike races in an Alpha or bmw.... more

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July 15, 2022

I’ve known Gerry for the past 51 years. Classmates in college, he was resourceful and very curious about people. Almost a childlike curiosity that never faded in all the years I’ve known him. We were opposites who enjoyed sharing of ourselves what... moreI’ve known Gerry for the past 51 years. Classmates in college, he was resourceful and very curious about people. Almost a childlike curiosity that never faded in all the years I’ve known him. We were opposites who enjoyed sharing of ourselves what we knew of life. That friendship grew as we reluctantly moved through life stages, forever young! He was from rural Lenoir and I was from urban New York.

His life evolved around work and play in the mountains. Mine was mostly work and playing on a soccer field and on a drum thrown in suburban Illinois. I spent my young adult and middle age on an academic calendar and professionally committed on weekends to music at night and soccer during daylight, seven days a week 52 weeks a year. Adding marriage and kids late in life made any adventure time very sparse. Gerry helped solve that. He was always ready with all the gear. His residents resembled an outpost center for adventure enthusiasts. He was always eager to share his latest outdoor adventure hobby at a moments notice. We were both endurance athletes who shared a common interest of testing our limits physically and mentally. This camaraderie lasted a long time but seems to have been cut short. We were planning to do it into our 90’s. Nothing wrong with aiming high. I will miss this with him.

Time with Gerry was adventurous and therapeutic. He became a legendary bicyclist, and a expert guide of the back country in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although, sometimes we’d be lost, not by choice, mostly because we were having too much fun in the water loosing track of time and daylight. We would solve our problems using the night sky and the moon if available. Once out of the woods in civilization, Gerry could always convince late night bars that were closing to reopen their closed kitchen to feed us leftovers. Given mediocre meals, Gerry would always comment best ingredient in this meal is hunger. Right again.

Over the years we biked, motorcycled, tested the limits of sports cars on mountain roads, hiked, swam, snorkeled, ran, repelled, fished, 4 wheeled in the backcountry (Chevy Blazer with no top), canoed and kayaked all over North Carolina. We vacationed in Florida, and New York. When time was really short, it was always Wilsons Creek.

We celebrated our high times and lows. Not always in real time because Gerry often was off the grid. We both were very slow to adopt cell phones and still rather be in the moment. When we got together, it was always life affirming, memorable, and full on adventure.

Gerry grew among people to have a paternal or brotherly nature about him. Never a stranger. He liked doing with and for people in his own helpful way. More often than not, Gerry would check on a few neighbors before we started on our adventures. His legacy for helping distressed people in the backcountry was just second nature to him. As a probation officer, I always admired Gerry’s efforts to reform youth offenders by taking them into the backcountry and dropping them off at remote locations. He’d check on them in a day or two offering needed help, food and drink. Weathered and hungry they quickly learned to value interdependency among people in a community.

Gerry’s patience and Mother Nature helped kids find their own positive role / job in society ending in reform. Congratulations and well done Gerry!

Gerry’s passing is a painful loss and demands time to pause and reflect. Like many of our adventures, we would stop reflect / meditate in seclusion on a mountaintop among the ridges and valleys. We would task ourselves on what is most important, what really matters or just empty our mind of everything. Then we would just go on to the next adventure.

He is gone on the next ultra fantastic adventure!

His life and memory is cherished and celebrated on Wilsons Creek, in the mountains, ocean or where ever we may be. less

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July 13, 2022 · via iPhone

There are moments belonging to memory that move by you in dreamlike recollection, long forgotten and now remembered in the sounds of a river, the gust of wind over a particular hillside, the moving of the brush before a great clearing. I’ve started... more

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July 12, 2022

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July 12, 2022 · via mobile

I first met Gerry McDade In Guatemala City when he was riding his BMW motorcycle and I was at the dealership getting parts for mine. He rode back to antiqua and I took the chicken bus and we spent the next few days together becoming great friends. That... moreI first met Gerry McDade In Guatemala City when he was riding his BMW motorcycle and I was at the dealership getting parts for mine. He rode back to antiqua and I took the chicken bus and we spent the next few days together becoming great friends. That was 2005 and afterwards he came to Savannah and I ended up in the mountains more times than I can count hanging out with him. We always seemed to be going the same places and somehow owning the same cars and motorcycles. BMWs, Alfa Romeos, Volkswagen vans and even Toyota Priuses. We had amazing adventures together including taking my old Alpha Romeo down to Florida to go camping and watch the space shuttle launch one of it's last flights. At Gerry's request, we never put the top up.

He would come down to Savannah during the coldest part of the year. And I would come see him in the summer and he would keep me busy running around seeing every waterfall in Western North Carolina.
He would call me up and say "JONATHAN, LISTEN, I'm up here near Lake fontana, I think you would like it up here." And that was basically an order/reminder that the mountains were calling and he knew I needed a break. It was an 8 hour drive so I looked at the weather and packed for the old airplane. He called a few hours later and said what's taking so long. I had to go get a patch for my thermorest. He said don't worry, I've got one! ...and of course he did. He always had everything with him. So that's how we ended up 2 up on a 50 year old overloaded motorcycle putting around the mountains.

Or the time the power went out for all of Savannah during st Patty's and he had a flashlight for everyone.

I miss that man already.

A few weeks ago we were up in Burnsville, he was in his Alfa Spider and I took my Maserati Spyder. We chased each other around the mountains and as always, I did a little work on his car. He needed some 7.5 Amp fuses because of course he had "Gerry rigged" some extra lights. He took off In the morning, and we waited a long time for has return. After 4 hours we went about our day. 2 days later he called and went right to asking Alfa questions. So if we have a service, and we better, I know what I'm bringing. Flashlights for all! And 7.5 Amp fuses for him.

I miss you already my friend. less

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July 12, 2022

I am so saddened by the loss of this iconic man who was a staple in the Boone and Blowing Rock communities. He shared a special place in my life as the partner of our beloved Squirrel. He shared many evenings at my table and I always enjoyed running... more

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