Gerald L. Painter 1928 - 2022

Gerald “Gerry” Painter, age 94, died peacefully August 17, 2022, at Hillside Retirement Community with his family by his side. As a higher education finance officer, his warm personality was an asset when counseling faculty, staff, parents and students.

He always said, “I was born in Burley and raised in Twin Falls” (Idaho). Youngest of the four Painter children by six years, but tallest at 6 feet 2, he was on the Twin Falls High School basketball team, the debate squad and graduated in 1946 as salutatorian of his class.

As did two of his siblings, he attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. In 1951, he graduated with a BS in Business Administration, cum laude. That fall he entered the University of Oregon School of Business on a graduate fellowship.

In October, Gerald returned to Linfield for Homecoming. A classmate arranged a blind date with a freshman girl named Jackie Schaake. It was literally “love at first sight.” On 17 subsequent weekends, he hitch-hiked from Eugene to Linfield to visit Jackie, and by Christmas break they were engaged. They were married July 22, 1951, in Yakima, Washington, Jackie’s hometown.

Moving to Berkeley, California, Gerald began a 10-year career with a national CPA firm, auditing businesses in Northern California. Their two daughters were born there in 1953 and 1955.

In 1961, Gerald became Chief Financial Officer at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. Now he had more time for family outings and volunteering as an usher at Cal football and basketball games.

But Berkeley had changed. After the student unrest of the 1970s, he and Jackie left for new positions at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. Gerald became finance officer and secretary to the Board of Trustees, and Jackie became a librarian. They bought and restored a century-old stone house a few blocks from the campus and walked (or even skiied) to work.

Gerald and Jackie retired in 1993 and moved back to McMinnville, where they built a New England style house. For the next 20 years they traveled widely in the U.S. and overseas.

Gerald took an active role as a Linfield alumnus and was scorekeeper at football and basketball games. He acted at the local Gallery Theater, volunteered as a driver for the Red Cross, and was on the Board of Directors at Hillside Retirement Community. In 2016, he and Jackie moved to Hillside, where he spent his remaining years.

Gerald was predeceased by his daughter, Barbara Painter. He leaves behind Jackie Painter, his wife for 71 years; his daughter and son-in-law, Maureen and Craig Vanek; his grandson, Russ Vanek and Heather Hinds his wife; granddaughter, Katherine Vanek and Chris Foes her fiancé; James Johnson, husband of his deceased daughter; two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Memorial gifts may be made to Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon, or to Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.

There will be a funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 10, at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in McMinnville. To leave condolences, visit www.macyandson.com.