Gerald “Jerry” Schatz
Gerald “Jerry” Schatz of Kirkland Wa, passed away peacefully on Nov 8, 2015 at the age of 74, surrounded by his loving family.
He is survived by his wife Nicky, sons Matt and Tony (Kaia) and granddaughter Tallulah. Jerry is also survived by his brother Wes and sister Carolyn as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Stan and sister Shirley.
Jerry was born February 18, 1941 to Margery and William Schatz. He was raised in Seattle and attended Blanchet High School and Seattle University. Jerry married the love of his life, Nicky, in 1967. Together with his wife of 48 years, they created a lifetime of wonderful memories and generously shared them not only with family, but also with the family of friends that have been such a large part of their lives for all these years.
Jerry’s greatest joy was sharing his passions and many interests with those that he loved. One that stands out in particular was his love of old cars, which he shared with his sons. Jerry touched many lives over the years and was loved not only for his quick wit and humor, but also for the compassion he showed to others and the inspiration he was to us all.
He loved all sports, but he especially excelled in baseball. After college, he went on to play 
semi-pro ball for the Cheney Studs. His competitive spirit didn’t end there. Jerry also ran 6 marathons including the Boston Marathon. He always strove to achieve his personal best.
Always willing to share his time and talents with others, Jerry coached numerous youth sports teams over the years including baseball, basketball, soccer, track and cross country. As a coach, he remained calm no matter the situation.
Jerry’s goal in life was simple, to make the world a better place…And that he did!
We will miss him deeply, but he will never leave our hearts.
Celebration of Life Mass to be held Saturday, November 14, 1:00 PM.
St. Jude Catholic Church, 10526 166th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to
Outpatient Rehab Center c/o EvergreenHealth.
Donations can be made online via Donate.EvergreenHealthFoundation.com Check “Other” and specify “Outpatient Rehab”
by phone via 425.899.1900, or by mail via 12040 NE 128th Street, MS#5, Kirkland, WA 98034.
Please designate your donation to “Outpatient Rehab.”
Or
Donations can be made online via http://www.northshoreseniorcenter.org/
or by mail to:
10212 East Riverside Drive
Bothell Wa 98011
Please designate your donation to:
“Northshore Health & Wellness Fitness Center” or “Northshore Adult Day Health Program.”
22 Responses to “Gerald “Jerry” Schatz”
Leave a Reply
Please be respectful. Disrespectful comments will not be published
When you have successfully submitted a comment, look in the space above to see your comment.
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
If you do not see your comment, click HERE
Dear Nicky and family. Our deepest sympathy to you on the death of Jerry. Although we didn’t know Jerry for a long time we always felt close to him and enjoyed him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Love, Mike & Paula Dorle
Dear Nicky. I saw Jerry’s announcement in the paper this morning. It brought back all sorts of memories of Jerry and you and the boys from such a long time ago. I was so sad to read about his passing. Ken died in 2011. I can only imagine Jerry’s struggles with his disease for so many years and how hard this has been. My heart goes out to you. Love, Linda Barber
Dear Nicky and Family,
Rita and I would like to express our sympathy to you and your Family. Jerry was a great guy, a great teammate, and I’ll miss his “quips” when we would get together when Bob Neubauer came to town. He will be missed.
Dear Nicky and Family,
We Sisters send each of you our supportive prayers as Jerry enters his eternal happiness. May his new life in God’s Presence bring great peace to all who remain.
Dear Nicky and family: So very sorry for your loss. Although the years have passed since Blanchet High School. I enjoyed visiting with Jerry at our last class reunion. He was always a class act and a person you could always talk to and get a friendly smile.
Dearest Nicky,
My husband Jim and I were good friends of Stan and Janet for years. Jerry was a small fry at that time. I am so sorry to hear of his death and hope your transition into being a widow will be easy since you have a close knit family. It’s been eight years since Jim passed away, hard to believe how fast time goes by.
Many blessings to you and your family, hugs, Sharon McConville
Nikki our heart goes out to you and the boys and we will miss Jerry and his humor such a nice man. Our prayers and thoughts are with each of you
Nicki and his sons, Please accept our sincere sympathy for your loss. Jerry and I started at Seattle U. in 1959 and played some great games together. He was a standout performer and a class act. He will always be remembered for that big smile and the stories he told. I, along with all of his SU teammates are feeling his loss. We all loved him!!
Rest in Peace, Jerry….
“Neubs”
Dear Nicky and Family;
Bob Neubauer sent me an email, as he did all of Jerry’s old teammates. I am sorry to hear of his passing because he was truely one of the “good guys”. We all will miss him and his love of life.
Among my classmates at Blanchet, Jerry is among those who stand out: smart,gifted athlete,calm and a very dry sense of humor. We were not close friends–my fault as I worked during those years. But on the few occasions when we encountered one another–most especially at our 50th reunion–we just picked up where we left off. We meet many people in life whom we like. For some of those we hold and enduring respect. Jerry stands out among the latter for me. May God bless all the Schatzs. If anyone rests with God, it is Jerry.
sam sperry
Dear Aunt Nicky, Matt, and Tony,
Uncle Jerry and his great sense of humor will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Dear Nicky and family,
Carole and I wish to express our sincere sympathy for your loss. Jerry has been an inspiration to me and many of the other guy’s that are dealing with Parkinson’s. Most importantly Jerry has shown to us that in spite of the disease we can achieve “good quality” in our lives. Nicky, the care and attention that you have given to Jerry is outstanding! He could not have had a better partner for this journey with Parkinson’s.
May God bless you and your family as you deal with this loss.
Bob & Carole
Dear Nikki and Boys, Our thoughts and prayers are with you all as we remember a really nice man. We are especially grateful for the time he spent coaching our son Brent in kids’ sports. As someone else has said Jerry was calm and encouraging with the boys. Nikki, you are an amazing woman as you walked through Jerry’s Parkinson’s journey with him — always there, always faithful and loving. Thank you for your example. I was touched to see Jerry at the pool in the summers as he bravely fought on to get his exercise in the water. You both have been examples for your sons, the rest of your families and all of us who know you! God bless you, Sharon & Leo
Nicky,so sorry to hear of Jerrys passing.Another one of our great teammates and friends now off to that diamond park we will all meet at.I so enjoyed my brief visit at your home some years ago at Denny’s passing. He will be missed.
Friend Nicky and Family,
Your circle of friends reach far and wide. We cherish our Kingsgate memories. We hope you can gain comfort in knowing your friendship was/is special. Take care of yourselves.
Dear Nicky, Matt and Tony,
We were saddened to hear of Jerry’s passing and our hearts go out to you all. Although we have not been in touch for many years, we remember you all fondly from those years when our children were little and played together. Take care and revel in your memories of Jerry, a truly fine and brave man. God Bless.
Dear Nicky and Family, We want you to know how sorry we are to learn about Jerry. Please know we are thinking of you and your family. We only knew him for a short while but always felt he had a “specialness ” about him and a sparkle in his eyes. Bless all.
Dear Nicky, Matt & Tony,
We were so saddened to hear of Jerry’s passing, I will always remember our camping trips to Guemes Island with all the kids, working on Buckey Beaver’s play area, the creation of NNP Co.and the wonderful times our families had together at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Jerry was a great guy, he will be missed.
Love,
Bob & Joan Hardie
Dear Nicky, Matt & Tony,
We were so saddened to hear of Jerry’s passing, I will always remember our camping trips to Guemes Island with all the kids, working on Buckey Beaver’s play area, the creation of NNP Co.and the wonderful times our families had together at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Jerry was a great guy, he will be missed.
Love,
Bob & Joan Hardie
Linda and I are very sorry to be losing Jerry. We were first introduced to him by our brother-in-law, Denny Hodovance, his old battery-mate at Seattle U. Oh how I loved to talk baseball with Jerry (except for the Yankees, which I can’t stand). Always so friendly and so quiet when he spoke, I loved the little quips he would come up with when something was amiss. We looked forward to seeing him on holidays or during the summer on Denny’s porch. But my most favorite time with Jerry was at Carol’s for Halloween, which meant good food (especially the chili), a lot of cute little kids getting ready to forage out into the night in search of their candy fortunes and, me and Jer, left behind to talk about the Seahawks, car shows, Sicks’ Stadium and Triple X Drive In. All the while Nicky would tend to his every need. I sat there this past Halloween looking at the couch where Jerry would have sat and felt the emptiness when someone, hardly noticed by some but bigger than life to me, is suddenly removed from his place of honor. But I don’t worry. I’m sure Hodo has shown Jerry the ropes by now. Maybe the two of you are having a game of pepper with Yogi, Whitey and the Mick. Linda and I are going to miss you, my friend. We’ll see you later.
So sorry to hear… I just found out yesterday. I did not know Jerry very well, we shared a Parkinson’s yoga class but he left a lasting impression, aways remembering your name. I never heard him complain about Parkinson’s, even though he had dealt with it longer than most people I have met who had it. It comes as no surprise that he was a coach, and he led by example.
Condolences to family and friends, and especially Nicky, an incredible wife and caregiver.
I was sorry to hear of Jerry’s passing last November and miss him every time I teach the yoga classes for Parkinson’s at Northshore Senior Center. He is missed by all of us who practiced with him, and it makes sense that he was a coach and mentor to many. His energy was always positive and witty despite the physical challenges he clearly faced.
My condolences to Nicky and the rest of his family and friends.