Frank Gerald Hart Jr. "Gerry", beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother passed away in his home surrounded by his family on August 7, 2016 in Southaven, Mississippi at the age of 72.
Gerry was born March 8, 1944 in Los Angeles, California to Frank Gerald Hart Sr. and Alta Marshall Hart. He lived in Ft. Worth, Texas until at age 12 when his family moved to Sunnyvale, California. Gerry served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Austrian Mission (1963-65). He attended BYU where he met and married Toni-Rae Von Harten in the Oakland Temple, December 15, 1967. He then entered the Navy as an officer and flew as a Naval pilot for many years, living primarily in Rota, Spain and in Topsham, Maine. His family moved to Sandy, Utah and lived there for 13 years before his job with Northwest Airlines, and subsequently Delta, took them to St. Paul, MN, Edmond, OK, and Southaven, MS.
He was a beloved, eldest son of six siblings, raised in the growing LDS communities of Texas and Northern California. At age 17 he won $114,000 on the Price is Right, leaving their New York studios by subway with the diamond ring he won stuffed in his sock.
In his 20s, while stationed in Spain, he tracked Soviet submarines as a Navy pilot during the Cold War. During his adult life he tried on many careers, finally settling into a job he truly loved at Northwest and then Delta Airlines where he worked for nearly 20 years. Over the years he became a master jack-of-all-trades, leaving a trail of remodeled and reconstructed homes throughout the Midwest and South.
He was an unrepentant teller of bad dad-puns, jokes and magic tricks. A devoted husband. A loyal, committed man of Faith. Our dad.
He left us on a Sunday, just as the sun was rising.
Gerry is survived by his wife Toni-Rae, his children Frank Gerald Hart III (Shana), Michael Hart, Jon Hart (Mary), Patrick Hart (Stefanie), and Jennifer Hart, his son-in-law Robert Hales, as well as his 15 grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Richard Hart (Joyce), Janice Woodruff (Larry), Katherine Bergstrom, Kent Hart (Linda), and David Hart. Preceeded in death by his daughter Christi Rae Hart Hales and his parents.
Mississippi: A service will be held Wednesday, August 10 in Southaven, MS.
Utah: Graveside services will be held on Saturday, August 13 at 10:00 a.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 E. Dimple Dell Road (10600 South), Sandy, UT. Open to all friends and family. A viewing will be held Friday evening from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the mortuary.
