From the Marketing and Communications Department
Hello G&K employees,
This Friday is going to be a jeans day in the downtown and Cuyahoga Falls offices for all employees. Everyone is encouraged to wear jeans and also anything with the company name or logo on it. That means company T-shirts if you have one.
This jeans day has been scheduled because of this weekend’s Friends & Families Fair taking place on Saturday (see attachment for directions and general information), but it is also going to be in honor of one of Greason & Kasper’s most beloved employees who suddenly and unexpectedly passed away late last week, Jerry Jeans.
As many of you know, Jerry Jeans worked in the Finance Department for over 37 years. He had a widely known penchant for office humor and practical jokes, and will be remembered for his ability to bring people together through laughter (and asymmetric tax explanations). On Monday we sent out a company-wide email for your favorite Jerry Jeans memories, and here are some of them:
“I loved how Jerry would always wash down a handful of vitamins/pills with a whole can of V8 juice (yuck!) on the elevator ride up to his floor every morning. If you were on that elevator with him, then you were encouraged by everyone else to chant for him to chug it, chug it, chug it. I always felt bad when he coughed up some V8 onto the floor or onto his shirt, but he always laughed at himself and wiped it up immediately. I’ll really miss him and all the humor he brought to the office.” — Gerald Nguyen, Tech Ops
“I was working late one night and I saw Jerry in the lunch room digging carefully through one of the small refrigerators. I think I really spooked him when I said hello, but then he started joking around and immediately grabbed his left arm and fell over groaning. He really got into it and rolled around and around until I left. I never laughed so hard. I remember it well because it was my daughter’s birthday that day.” — Allison Frechs, Marketing
“Everyone knew how Jerry Jeans was such a kidder, but he really had me a couple weeks ago when I walked around the corner and saw him slumped against the wall with a paper bag held to his face. I ran over and crouched down to ask if he was okay, but he just waved me off (must not have wanted me ruining the joke for the next person/victim). I couldn’t believe it. That Jerry! And it was always sweet of him when he brought in cupcakes that his wife made. She’s such a great baker.” — Nancy Thayer, Operations
“Jerry was like a father to me. On my first day (just this month on the 1st), he literally grabbed me by the arm – he had such a strong grip!!! – and showed me around until we got to his desk where he acted like he’d never sat down before. From then on I always let him mess with me and grab my arm until I escorted him over to his area. His wife wasn’t exactly the best baker, but Jerry always shared what she gave him.” — Sarah Michaels, Human Resources
“Jerry was so much fun! Whenever I was feeling down he could always put a smile on my face. One day he really broke the tension in the conference room after an important finance meeting by pretending that he lost his sight temporarily, and then when he regained his sight he said he had severe vertigo before throwing up all over my chair. Such a hoot, that guy. I’ll really miss him.” — Brian Rickers, Finance
“One thing that really sticks out about Jerry is when he called me really early one morning at home and whispered all these things I couldn’t understand. I didn’t know who it was so I ‘star-sixty-nined’ him, totally busting his prank-calling scheme. I swear I laughed all the way to the office that day and thought about how I’d get him back, but he ended up calling in sick.” — Frankie Opper, Assistant to the President
“Just last week Jerry really pulled a real doozy on the whole team by showing up in his pajamas and unshaved, acting like he didn’t recognize a soul in the room. He took it a big step further and crapped his pants right there on the spot! OMG! The place went crazy. That guy was definitely one of a kind. I can’t believe he’s gone.” — Vernon Nausette, Finance
“Jerry was absolutely loved by the lobby personnel. There were days when he would just walk right in with his tomato juice and head for the elevators, and then there were days like Thursday and Friday of last week when he just wanted to lean against the lobby wall for a while with his eyes closed. Twice he fell right to his knees. I had no idea he was such a religious man. Things won’t be the same around here.” — Lawrence Brown, Security
In honor of Jerry Jeans and his tenure at Greason & Kasper, there will be a short teleconference memorial over the Web for all G&K people on Friday. You will be able to participate live, so if you think you might know where Jerry’s telephone handset, computer keyboard, or the remote control to the 38th floor lounge can be found, please speak up then. Check our home page for the access url to join.
And please no frayed jeans or jeans with holes. Work shoes only.
Regards,
Thomas Tienick
Director of Communications
