Paul Gerry Maurer
May 2, 1942 - September 25, 2022
Obituary
Paul Gerry Maurer
May 2, 1942 — Sep 25, 2022
Paul “Gerry” Maurer died on September 25, 2022, at the age of 80 at Parkshore Senior Living in Seattle, WA due to failing health from long Covid and pulmonary fibrosis. He was deeply loved by family and friends and is dearly missed.
Gerry was born on May 2, 1942, in Long Beach, CA to parents Mary Josephine Cushing Maurer and Paul Bulger Maurer. Gerry was the second of three children, along with sisters Mary Jo and Tath. The trio grew up on an avocado ranch in the Hollywood Hills and Gerry attended La Habra and Hollywood High (class of 1960), where he was a member of the cheer squad and track team. Gerry was an avid sailor from a young age, skippering boats in multiple Transpacific (California to Hawaii) races when he was still in high school. His love for sailboats continued throughout his life as he captained his beloved yachts Surprise (C&C 35) and Dirigo (K50) in myriad races and cruised the Pacific Northwest, Canada, Bermuda, Mexico and beyond. One of his most cherished honors was becoming Commodore of the Seattle Yacht Club (SYC) in 1992. Racing sailboats was Gerry’s North Star and he continued to race mini-12s with SYC after retiring his yachts and loved teaching others to sail, as he did with the US Navy cadets.
Gerry received his BA from Stanford University in 1964, where he met his first wife, Kathleen Kirkpatrick (Pierce), and was a proud member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity and a coxswain on the crew team. He went on to get his MBA from Columbia University in 1966, after which he worked in management for American Airlines before attending Officer Candidate School and serving in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. In 1970, he was discharged and moved permanently to Seattle, WA where he worked for Airborne Air Freight before buying American Conserving Company (aka “the apple factory”) which processed Washington apples for pies and juice, with his business partner and fellow Navy Officer, Glenn Kalnasy. In 1985, he shifted gears to estate and business planning with Northwestern Mutual Financial Services, where he built his own advisory firm, fully retiring in 2021.
In 1987, Gerry married Barbara and moved to her home in West Seattle. They had a shared love of the sea; most of their spare time was spent racing or cruising sailboats. They spent many years sailing the West Coast as well as chartering boats in the Caribbean, Greece and Croatia and traveling with the Cruising Club of America. When not on boats, the pair loved to ski and take family winter ski trips, igniting a love for the mountains in their two sons.
Gerry and Barbara were also devoted Rotarians. Gerry was a member of the downtown Seattle Rotary Club and Barbara served as President of the Burien Rotary. Together they were deeply involved in Rotary International service with schools, orphanages, and water projects across the globe, including two visits to India.
Above all, Gerry and Barbara loved hosting friends and family at their home, whether it was for an international business delegation, a holiday meal, or their annual Christmas ship party. They loved to cook and garden together and spent their “retirement” years enjoying their beautiful Puget Sound views and prolific garden. Gerry in particular was dedicated to his blueberry and rose bushes and could often be found out in the garden pruning or harvesting them. They were both very proud of their children and especially their many grandchildren who they gathered often for meals on their deck or holiday celebrations.
Gerry was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Glee Maurer. He is survived by his two daughters, Kristina Maurer Montague (Tom) and Serena Dawn Maurer (Sam); his two step-sons, Karl Asmund Norsen (Michelle) and Curtis Clifton Norsen (Betsy); his seven grandchildren, Chapin, Max, Ella, Millie, Tao, Harper, and Tabitha; and his two sisters, Tath Hossfeld (Dennis) and Mary Jo Martin (Richard); as well as his nephews Chris, Craig, and Andy; nieces Cecily and Jenny and their families.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Rotary International Foundation. A Celebration of Life will be held on December 29th from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Seattle Yacht Club.
Dear Gerry, we mourn your absence in our lives, the lives of your family and in the community to which you gave so much. We treasure the memories of beach walks, wine tasting, dinner parties, long talks and our joint adventure in India.
All our love,
I have known Gerry for almost fifty years. He was a true sportsman and gentleman whom I will never forget
Dearest Gerry, I am saddened to hear this news as I went looking for your mailing address to send you a thank you card for being a wonderful friend, mentor and estate planning advisor over the years. I’ll never forget the case we worked on together when you asked me if I had done my homework then realized I missed that our client was a board member chairman and began to panic about how big this case was going to be. You said “deep breathe, Vanessa. The only difference he has from any other person is a few extra zero’s behind his net worth. He’s just like us. Seeking great advice to protect his wealth for years to come”. You reminded me of my own father who taught me to love the sea and the joy of feeling the wind below the sails. Although I could never afford to join the Seattle Yacht Club as a young professional in Seattle, you would be proud to know that I’ve since moved to NC and purchased a sunfish for my sons, sending them to sailing summer camp and we all received US Sailing Certifications during 2020, and continue to take sailing adventures. You opened your beautiful home in W. Seattle during the holidays that I will never forget. I even recall showing you the Santa photo of our first child, Connor (who kicked off his shoes and was wearing only socks) and you said “can’t you afford shoes for that kid – with a smile and wink”. You were and will remain my favorite estate planning advisor and have touched my heart in many ways. I am honored and humbled to have had the pleasure of working on life insurance and estate planning cases together and you giving me a chance to earn your trust and business as a marketing consultant. Tears. May your family know just how much you meant to so many. I am writing this from my home in North Carolina. My deepest condolences to your family. RIP my friend. You have left footprints on my heart that I will never forget.
I worked with Gerry at NML from ’86 to ’89. I had worked at the Milwaukee home office of NML prior to moving to Seattle, and Gerry was exceptionally kind and helpful as I familiarized myself with the workings of a General Agency. Although quite new to the insurance industry, he was an established successful businessman in other fields. As such, he inspired and mentored many of his insurance peers and always was the epitome of the correlation between self-discipline and success. His sense of humor and ability to put office issues into perspective made him a cherished workfellow. I have only the most positive memories of his office-wide influence.