Gerry Robert Coleman

Gerry Robert Coleman passed away quietly in the presence of his wife, Wynne, and his brother-in-law, John Gatsis, on Monday, August 11, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of 78. A fraternal twin, he was born on February 25, 1947 in Westchester County, New York and grew up in the Westchester County village of Bronxville, noted for its charming downtown. He was named after his ancestor, Elbridge Gerry, an American Founding Father (Contrary to intuition, the name, Gerry, is pronounced with a hard “G”.).

 

Shortly after he graduated from college, Gerry was drafted into the US Army to serve during the last three years of the Vietnam era. Following his release from active duty around 1973, he worked in Manhattan first as a residential property manager and later as a commercial real estate broker. During that time, he and Wynne lived in Manhattan and then in Brooklyn Heights. They moved to Raleigh in 1992. He was a commercial real estate appraiser in Raleigh until he retired.

 

Gerry thrived on interacting with people and often worked as a volunteer. He served on the Boards of his Homeowner’s Association, Wake County Taxpayers Association, and Heart for Home School.  He volunteer-tutored children in reading and other basic skills through interaction with public and private schools, homeschools, and other community programs.

 

Another of his great passions was teaching about the history and principles of the US Constitution with an emphasis on the liberty our founding documents afford its citizens. As a military veteran in Raleigh, he supervised the American Legion National High School Oratorical Scholarship Program, a national contest for high school students that challenges students to deliver speeches on American history, the U.S Constitution, civics, and citizenship. And for ten years, assisted by Wynne, he taught the 15-unit one-semester curriculum of Institute on the Constitution free of charge to high school students and adults alike. The meeting spaces were graciously provided at various times by local church pastors, a well-known Raleigh real estate developer, and a North Carolina candidate for Congress who wanted his campaign staff to know about the US Constitution.