Gerard Joseph Herrling, affectionately known to his inner circle as Monk, and to wife, Carole, as G-man, and to his former employees as Mr. H, was born on Feb 1, 1955, in Brooklyn, NY. He was the youngest of three children to Francis and Julia Herrling.
In 1969, he attended Loyola School where he participated in baseball, soccer, basketball and he also directed lighting at school plays and dances. He was on the yearbook and newspaper committees and down the road became the President of the Alumni Association for many years and then an Emeritus member. Gerry obtained his Bachelors Degree in Business and Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Around 1974, early in his work career, Gerry worked as a Production Manager for Catherine Stein, a trendy and well-known jeweler on 5th Avenue in New York. Following that, Gerry became a true credit union champion. In 1980, he began working at Municipal Credit Union, where he held various positions in multiple departments, and developed an extensive network of professional and personal contacts. He particularly enjoyed working with his mentor, William Porter, for whom he had the greatest respect and affection.
After 27 years of service at MCU, he went on to share his expertise at other credit unions including, Bethex FCU, Quorum, United Nations FCU, and most recently GTE Financial CU.
Gerry loved all NY sports teams, especially the NY Knicks, Yankees, and NY Liberty, attending games frequently with his wife, Carole.
His love story with Carole began in 1983, where they bumped into each other at MCU. At the time, she was working at Citibank and he at MCU. In 1995, Carole went on to join MCU, where both she and Gerry were famous for their little battles over credit union operations. In 2005, these battles turned into a wonderful love story, ending up in marriage in 2014. Gerry not only became part of Carole’s life as her husband, but also dad to both of Carole’s adoring children, Christina and Christopher. He welcomed both children into his life, treated them like his own and loving them with a fierceness.
Gerry loved attending Christian Cultural Center (CCC) in Brooklyn with Carole every Sunday, arriving an hour and a half before service commenced, making sure they were always on time. In 2012, after becoming a member at CCC, he was saved. He loved his Christian church community, learning and absorbing the teachings of his Pastor and enjoyed his Sunday chats with the various staff members and the elders. He enjoyed cruising with the Porters every other year.
In 2021, he and his beloved wife, Carole, relocated to South Florida, where they built their forever home and lived with their three dogs among their wonderful community of neighbors.
Gerry went to be with the Lord on the morning of September 18th. He leaves to mourn the love of his life Carole; daughter Christina (Charles), and son Christopher; brothers Frank (Carol Kopec) and Anthony (Jane Haburay), brother-in-law Rashid Basir, nephew Michael Francis Herrling, nieces Lisa Ann Loney and Eliza Haburay-Herrling, mother-in-law Marianna Porter, and a host of other family, friends, and associates too numerous to mention.
Rest in Power Gerry. You will be missed tremendously by all who knew you.
Visiting hours are Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 11 AM to 1 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ. A funeral service will be held at 11 AM.
The service at 11 AM can viewed through the livestream link below:
https://boxcast.tv/view/gerard-joseph-herrling-funeral-service-uhbzdhzbimuzyrqlpi1m
I worked with Gerry at UNFCU. Gerry was a very kind and caring man to everyone he dealt with. He shared his vast knowledge of his past work lives with us enriching all with his history and stories. My sincere condolences and prayer to his wife Carol and the whole family. May he be at peace.
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You were a true exemplar of the Ignatian spirit, give and never count the cost. Your kindness and heart were ever present when we met often at alumni dinners. Fair winds and following seas my Loyola brother.
Dear Gerry, I will miss you greatly. I cherished your friendship and the time we spent together at Loyola as classmates, on the Alumni board and at all the events we attended together. Thanks for talking me into joining as a decade rep when you were the president. We had some great times and I got to know some very special people thanks to you. My deepest sympathies to Carole and to your families. Rest in peace my brother. Your spirit will always be with us. Amen.
I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I worked with Gerry and he was wonderful to speak to. He always checked in on how I was really feeling and I am devastated to hear of his passing. He would text me photos of his perfect sunsets in his forever home that was “finally done”. He deserved so much more time and I send so much love to his family and friends.
I used to work with Gerry at UNFCU. Gerry was a great guy. I still periodically would text him and talk about basketball or just seeing how he was doing. I am so sorry for the loss and I give my best wishes to his entire family.