Gerald "Jerry" Gregory Nolan's Obituary
Gerald (Jerry) Gregory Nolan was born in Decatur, IL on January 30, 1948 to Mary Geraldine (Rork) and Henry Aloysius Nolan. He passed away peacefully on August 9, 2025 with his 3 brothers by his side. He loved being the 4th of 7 children of a large family which became the focal point of his life. He is survived by his brothers Patrick, Michael (Kathy), Thomas, sister-in-law Jody House Nolan, nieces and nephews Amy Conkling (Doug), Kelly Roepke (Kevin), Colleen Dust (Chad), Erin Swingler (Donnie), Beth Nolan, Patrick Nolan, Katie Dickerman (Jason), Timothy Nolan, Kaitlin Nolan (Anshul Khanna), and Keely Ferguson (Karl). Preceding him in death are his beloved mother Geraldine Nolan, father Henry Nolan, brothers Timothy and Daniel and sister Mary Kathleen, maternal aunt and uncle Eloise and August Student.
Jerry was a paperboy while growing up in The Elms in Decatur and enjoyed being part of a dynamic family that regularly and joyously fostered and celebrated its Irish Catholic identity and heritage.
He attended St. Teresa kindergarten, St. Thomas Grade School, where he served as an altar boy and developed a strong faith which sustained him throughout his life, St. Teresa High School and got his GED at Fort Hood, Texas while serving in the U.S. Army.
Jerry was a simple, humble, considerate, kind, gentle, non-judgmental human being and a man of faith. While St. Thomas was his home parish, he would visit other churches, denominational & non-denominational, from time to time. He was a daily reader of the Bible and Chicago Tribune and listener of NPR - they were his lifetime companions.
He was a U.S. Army veteran, having served 36 months which included two tours of duty in Vietnam totaling 19 months. There he was an engineer with a mine sweeping unit and was awarded a Purple Heart as a result of combat injuries suffered with his unit. He was honorably discharged from the Army in May of 1969.
Jerry was quite fond of the people he met and worked with for 43 years in the kitchen at St. Mary’s Hospital. Thank you HSHS.
Among his biggest lifetime accomplishments were his U.S. Army tour of duty, his 43 years of employment at St. Mary’s Hospital and living independently except for his recent months at Imboden – all of this while living and dealing with the everyday scourge and disability of Schizophrenia. He never complained about the hand he was dealt.
In very recent times, Jerry had become the unofficial Greeter/Mayor of Imboden Creek Senior Living Center – hanging out in the main corridor with the assistance of his cane or wheelchair making a point to say at least Hello/Goodbye to all who came and went and would engage in conversation with those who had the time and interest in doing so. He was definitely a people person, always with a smile and a kind word.
Jerry was a valued member of our family. In his simple way, he taught us a number of life lessons. He will be missed and celebrated.
His family would like to thank the staffs of Imboden Creek and Elara Caring Hospice for their loving care recently and Dr. Rohi Patil and the Heritage Center for their commitment to caring for Jerry for the past 40+ years.
Visitation will be at 10:00am, August 20, 2025 followed by a Mass celebrating Jerry’s life at 11:00am at St. Thomas Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Mt. Gilead cemetery. Condolences may be shared with the family at https://www.moranandgoebel.com.
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