Patrick N.

Gerald

Patrick Gerald, a well-known and long-time resident of Sweetwater, passed away Sunday, September 17 at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital after a short illness. He was 83.

Patrick had a long and distinguished career, both in Sweetwater and elsewhere. He was born in Vernon, Texas on October 19, 1939. His father, Thomas Patrick Gerald, was the head football coach there at the time and his mother, Bobbie Gerald, was a home builder. His father later became the head coach of the Sweetwater Mustangs from 1945-1954 and the family moved to Sweetwater. He had two sons, Patrick Nuckles Gerald and Joe Gerald. Patrick was All-State in 1957, both as an offensive guard and defensive linebacker, and was a member of the first Sweetwater team to play in a state championship game in 1957. He also played in the 1958 Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game under the legendary coach Gordon Wood. Patrick later played football on a scholarship to Rice University and was a standout player in the Sugar Bowl. On his graduation from Rice in 1962, he worked at the Pecos County State Bank in Fort Stockton, Texas. From there, he moved to Sweetwater in 1975 and became the president of First National Bank of Sweetwater. During his years at the bank, he served as president, chairman of the board, and CEO. He retired in 1998.

In 1962, he married Sandra Sprain Gerald and had two children, Patrick Sprain Gerald and Laura Lynn Gerald Hart. Patrick Sprain Gerald, born October 2, 1965, was a 1983 graduate of Sweetwater High School and graduated from Texas Tech University in 1987 and received his law degree at the University of Texas Law School and practiced law in Midland with the firm Davis and Gerald until his untimely death in 2007. Laura Lynn Gerald Hart, born March 21, 1967, is a 1985 graduate of Sweetwater High School and graduated from Baylor University in 1989. As his only daughter, they were very close and talked on a daily basis and she brought light to his life. She and her husband Heath live in Colleyville, Texas. Patrick Gerald married Barbara Joan Gerald in 1991 and they remained married until she passed away on August 3, 2023. Patrick was an avid sportsman and golfer throughout his life. He made a hole-in-one at the Sweetwater Country Club at age 78.

He was a huge fan of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers, not to mention his beloved Sweetwater Mustangs and Rice Owls. He loved to watch his grandchildren play sports and he never missed a game. He was a loving father and grandfather, as well as step-grandfather, affectionately known to his step-grandchildren as "Uncle Pat." He encouraged all his grandchildren to do great things with their lives, which they are all doing, and it gave him great pride in his family. Additionally, Patrick loved Sweetwater and served on many boards and organizations during his life, including the Sweetwater Enterprise for Economic Development, the Mustang Booster Club and as President of the Sweetwater School Board. In 2010, the Big Country Athletic Hall awarded the Gerald family the honor of being the first family to receive the "Legacy Award," recognizing Patrick's father as an outstanding football coach, Patrick's football prowess, his brother Joe Gerald who was an All-Region quarterback and defensive back for the Mustangs in 1960, as well as a three year letterman as a defensive back at Baylor University and played in the 1964 Bluebonnet Bowl, and his son, Patrick Sprain Gerald, who was an All-State linebacker for the Mustangs in 1983 and then played at Rice and later transferred to Texas Tech.

He is survived by his daughter, Laura Lynn Gerald Hart and her husband Heath Hart of Colleyville, and their children, Hamilton Hart, who is a student at the University of Oklahoma, and Harrison Hart, who is a student at Texas A&M University, his daughter-in-law Michelle Gerald, and his granddaughters Victoria Gerald, who is employed by Protiviti as the Internal Audit and Financial Advisory Manager, and Catherine Gerald, who is employed by AON as Vice President of Natural Resources, both of Houston and both graduates of Texas A&M University, as well as stepchildren Paige Pace Allen and her husband Bob Allen of Dallas, Tann Pace and his wife Melissa Pace of Flower Mound, Robert Pace and his wife Jessica Pace of Dallas, Merry Laine Wetsel and her husband Rod Wetsel of Sweetwater, and step-grandchildren Dillard Pace, a recent graduate of Texas A&M University, Lane Pace, a high school senior and prospective college freshman at a number of Universities, Finn Pace, 12-years-old, Britton Pace, 11-years-old, Lenyx Pace, 7-years-old, Dr. Zachary Wetsel of Boston Massachusetts, Attorney Quentin Wetsel and his wife Shelby of Lubbock, and Orthopedic Implant Sales Representative Kurt Wetsel of Dallas.

A graveside service will be at 3:00 P.M. Saturday September 23, 2023 at the Garden of Memories Cemetery. A Memorial Service will follow at 4:00 P.M. in the First Methodist Church with Reverend Ryan Strebeck officiating directed by McCoy Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life and Reception will at #14 Fairway in Sweetwater following the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate if donations could be made to Nurture Nolan, 202 Broadway, Sweetwater, Texas 79556.

Pallbearers will be Harrison Hart, Dr. Zachary Wetsel, Quentin Wetsel, Kurt Wetsel, Dillard Pace, Lane Pace, Finn Pace, Britton Pace, Robert Pace, and Tann Pace.

Honorary pallbearers will be Roland Jackson, Don Timm, Tom Rees, Karl Morris, Gordon Nemir, Gerald Galbraith, Jack Poe, and Larry May.