passed away peacefully on February 27, 2023 in a Scottsdale, Arizona hospital surrounded by family. Born in Grafton, North Dakota, on June 12, 1932 to Magdalena Hertel Goetz and Carlyle Edmond Goetz, Gerry was raised on the family farm in Hensel, North Dakota. In 1946, the family moved back to Grafton, North Dakota where he excelled in high school track and was the 1948 State Mile Champion. Gerry’s other passion in high school was music as he participated in both the Chorus and Band (tuba). In his junior year, Gerry was selected to attend Boys State and he received the American Legion Athlete of the Year Award for outstanding seniors at Grafton High School.

Upon graduating from high school, Gerry received a 4-year track scholarship and went on to attend North Dakota Agricultural College in Fargo, North Dakota. His college activities included membership in the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, singing in the college choir, lettering in track all 4 years, playing freshman and varsity football, and competing on the college bowling team. He also participated in ROTC for 4 years and received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force upon graduation. In his senior year, he met his wife of 68 years, Marcella “Marcy” (Iverson) Goetz. Marcy was a freshman member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority at the time of their meeting.

Gerry graduated from the North Dakota Agricultural College in June, 1954, with a degree in Industrial Engineering and Management. Gerry and Marcy wed in Moorhead, Minnesota, on February 12, 1955 and then left for Gerry’s 2-year assignment with the 29th Air Division of the Air Defense Command at Great Falls Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana.

Gerry’s professional career began in Seattle with Boeing as an Industrial Engineer in the Missiles and Space Division in 1957 and later was associated with Boeing’s Commercial Airplane Division’s start-up of the 747 program. He went on to engineering positions with the Lockheed Missiles and Space Division and the Washington State Department of Transportation and he held a Management Consultant position with the Wofac Company for 4 years which took him to projects throughout the U.S West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico City, and Edmonton, Canada.

In 1981, Gerry joined Intel as a Productivity Analyst and was responsible for manufacturing operations at Intel plants in Arizona, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Philippines, and Malaysia. In 1989, Gerry returned to Boeing as a Quality and Surveillance Engineering Manager in the Material Division. His last Boeing assignment was with the Boeing International Division headquartered in London, England. As a result, he and Marcy enjoyed international assignments in Belfast, Northern Ireland and London, England and did extensive touring throughout Europe as a result.

Upon his retirement from Boeing in 1995, Gerry continued to pursue his love of singing with the Arizona Masterworks Chorale and Phoenix Symphony, served as his own contractor building a vacation home in the high country of Overgaard, AZ, and worked as a substitute elementary school teacher for the Paradise Valley and Cave Creek School Districts. Whenever time permitted, he loved spending time on the golf course, fishing, playing bridge, and traveling with Marcy to exciting new destinations such as New Zealand and Australia.

Gerry expressed his top priorities in life as being his family, faith, and singing. He was steadfastly committed to all 3 whether it was being a hands-on Dad involved in his kid’s activities, serving as an active parishioner in Lutheran ELCA churches, and 40 years of singing in choral groups. Gerry is survived by his wife of 68 years (Marcy), 3 children (Steve, Dave, Kathy), and 3 grandchildren (Elizabeth, Christopher, Emily). Gerry’s life began in humble surroundings, but supported by those around him, he worked hard to develop his talents and ascended to a life filled with rewarding experiences and always with a devotion to God and an enduring commitment to his wife and family. Gerry leaves behind a lifetime legacy as a loving husband, father, and grandfather and our memories of him will always be treasured ones.