Obituaries

John Hans Gerlach, age 77, of Lost Creek, WV, lost his brief but courageous battle with Leukemia and Diabetes with his family by his side while at UHC.

A German immigrant Christened Joachim Hans Gerlach and the eldest of two sons, John was born in West Berlin in 1939, months before the start of WWII. Son of the late Hans Friederich and Charlotte Roesler Gerlach, his father was taken captive during the war, held in a Siberian prison camp and only one of a handful of survivors to be liberated from the camp at the end of the war.

Immigrating to the US at age 14, the family settled in Michigan with no English language skills. At age 18, after acquiring his pilot’s license, he joined and served in the US Army from 1958-1968 in both Korea and Vietnam. Sergeant First Class John Gerlach became the youngest recipient of the Department of Defense’s Joint Service Commendation Medal award by the US Secretary of Defense.

In 1969 John started a new career as an Air Traffic Controller for the FAA which brought him in the early 70’s, to Benedum Airport in Bridgeport, WV. In 1979 he moved his family to Lost Creek, WV. In 1984 he transferred to Morgantown Municipal Airport retiring twice, once after 30 years of federal service only to return five years later as control tower manager giving an additional 21 years of service before his second retirement in April 2016 at age 76. With over 50 years of service John held the record for the longest servicing tower manager in history.

John embraced the 2nd Amendment and his right to bear arms. His passions included hunting, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, flying, camping, hunting, model airplanes, cars, landscaping, animals, and barbequing.

Having just celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary, John is survived by devoted wife, Charlotte Catlett Gerlach; sons, Philip Gerlach of Washington, DC, and Thomas Gerlach of Kearneysville, WV; daughter, Deborah Gerlach Klaus of Winston-Salem, NC; granddaughters, Ashley Gerlach and Brittany Gerlach Miller of Clarksburg, WV; grandsons, Jacob Klaus; Stephen Dockney, Jr. (Mercedes Dockney); Richard White, Jr.; great grandson, Ashton Sendling; several great grandchildren; and his brother, Bernd Gerlach (Mary Gerlach) of New Baltimore, Michigan. John will be gravely missed by family, coworkers, friends, dog and cats and fondly remembered as an extraordinary man.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his honor to People’s Hospice at UHC as Hospice helped to make caring for him at home a reality.

Family and friends may call at Amos Carvelli Funeral Home, 201 Edison Street, Nutter Fort on Monday, March 13, 2016 from 2:00 to 8:00 pm. Mr. Gerlach will be taken to the Lost Creek United Methodist Church to lie in state one hour prior to the service on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 11:00 am with Reverend Saundra Boley and Reverend Edward Moore officiating.  In keeping with his wishes, Mr. Gerlach will be cremated following the service.

Expressions of sympathy may be extended to the family at www.amoscarvelli.com  A service of Amos Carvelli Funeral Home.