Gerald F. Rester, 90, died Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014, at Indian River Estates Medical Center in Vero Beach.
Rester was born in Bogalusa, La., in October 1923, to J. Harvey Rester Sr. and his wife Sadie.
After completing a year in the LSU system in 1941, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1944 with a bachelors of science degree.
He entered the submarine service and completed one war patrol on the USS Diablo, shortened by the surrender of Japan.
He resigned from the Navy in late 1947 and entered the Naval Reserve.
He was called back into the Navy for Korea, serving aboard the USS Lionfish and USS Redfin.
His civilian career included engineering, marketing and project management positions at Grumman, NBC/RCA, Lockheed and Westinghouse, followed by a ten-year tour at Navy Civil Service in engineering and project management, mostly submarine related.
Rester was a licensed, registered professional engineer (P.E.)
He was a private airplane pilot, and held a U.S. Coast Guard Master’s License-sail, off shore.
He was a past commodore of Charleston (SC) Cruising Club and past Commodore of the Fort Pierce, Yacht Club.
In 1986, after retirement, Gerald and his wife Suzy, whom he married in 1975, moved to Vero Beach and traveled and cruised extensively.
He was on the boards and later president of the local chapters of Military Officers of America and Navy League of the U.S.
After retiring into Indian River Estates in 2003, he joined the board of the Residents Association and served as treasurer and later as president.
Gerald was pre-deceased by his siblings; Elaine Douglas and her husband Dr. William Douglas, of Pensacola; Dr. J. Harvey Rester Jr., of Gainesville and Gerald’s first wife, Virginia, of Oregon.
Survivors include his wife Suzanne (Suzy); daughter Susan Miles and her husband Bob Wilmers, of Minn.; sons Bruce and Richard, of Oregon; nieces Patricia Douglas, of Pensacola and Kim Sams, of Clermont; six grandchildren and one great-grandson of Pennsylvania.
Gerald will be inurned at a later date at the U.S. Naval Academy Columbarium at Annapolis, Md.
A celebration of life with military honors will take place at Indian River Estates East Auditorium, 2250 Indian Creek Blvd. West, Vero Beach, FL 32966 on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. with Chaplain William Mead officiating.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to VNA Hospice of Indian River County, 1111 36th Street Vero Beach, Fl 32960 or the Military Officers Association Scholarship Fund, Indian River Chapter, P.O. Box 644047, Vero Beach, Fl 32964-4047.
Arrangements are by Strunk Funeral Home and Crematory, Vero Beach.
A guest book is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.
