LAIE, HAWAII
Jerry Dunlap, 87, passed away on May 31st in Houston, TX, 2023, due to cancer. Just like he dealt with all experiences in life, Jerry managed his illness with strength and grace, wanting to spend as much time as possible with his second wife, Trish, son Jerr and daughter Jennifer.
Jerry graduated from Purdue in 1957 as a mechanical engineer. He built a successful career as an entrepreneur, inventing everyday practical devices such as the automatic safety sliding door and a record changer with eight tiny belts on posts that flipped the record but never caught on. Frustrated with poor water systems in boats, he designed water pumps and air compressors. He grew that business into tire inflators that were standard equipment in Porsche and sold in Pep Boys and other automotive stores. He built a beautiful house in Mammoth, California, with his second wife Patricia Dunlap in the style of a French country home and lived there for many years before moving full-time to their beach house in Oahu. He was passionate about designing, swimming, hiking, skiing, sailing, traveling, history, a good meal, and classical music. Jerry also loved dogs, from the stray Alsatian Shepherd he adopted to Akitas and Berners. Jerry loved to have parties with his friends.
When Jerry was in grade school, he saw a postcard of palm trees in Los Angeles, with snowy San Bernardino mountains in the background. The juxtaposed beauty stayed with him, and upon graduation from Purdue, he promptly moved to LA, bought a cute little red Austin-Healey, a sailboat, and fell in love with his first wife, Louise, with whom he had three children, Jerr, Duncan, and Jennifer. While Jerry loved the California lifestyle, hiking and skiing with his family, he never forgot Columbus and his family back home. He visited frequently and stayed in touch with his friends and extended family. Jerry’s great-grandfather founded Dunlap &Company in 1873, still a leading Columbus construction company that boasts many of Columbus’ renowned architectures, such as the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, Fire Station No. 4, and several churches.
Jerry inherited a fine collection of Orinoco furniture from his mother’s family. Before World War I, this was one of the largest fine furniture companies in the United States. The pieces were meticulously crafted by hand with beautiful inlay and detailed carvings. Jerry donated some of this furniture to the Bartholomew County Historical Society, where they will make the furniture available for visitors to learn about and appreciate a part of the history of Columbus.
As in his life, in death, he wanted a celebration and a gathering of his friends to remember the good times and raise a glass to him. This celebration will take place near the end of July in his home in Laie, Hawaii, where he has many fond memories of swimming, kayaking, collecting seashells, and enjoying the beach.
On his final day, he was surrounded by Trish and his two children, Jerr and Jennifer.
He was much loved and will be sorely missed.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Melanoma Research Alliance https://www.curemelanoma.org
