Gerald Joseph Myers, Worked in the Field of Addictions Management

Obituary from Mackey Funeral Home.

Gerald Joseph Myers (“Jerry”) of Danvers, Massachusetts, age 73 , left this earth on February 10, after many happy years in a long, varied and productive life.

Beloved spouse of Dr. Robert Page, he was the devoted father of Laura Myers Skally (Sean) of Staunton, Virginia, the adored grandfather of Shannon and Meghan Skally, and the cherished son of the Mary (Reilly) and Frank Frederick Myers. He leaves behind five siblings: his brother Raymond Myers (Anna) of Baltimore, Joan Tribull (Bob) of Bel Air, Maryland, Donald Myers (Grace) of Spring Hill, Florida ,Patricia Halliwell of Bel Air, and Frederick Myers (Susan) of Bel Air . He was predeceased by his brother Thomas Myers. He is also survived by many other devoted family members, including cousins, nieces, and nephews in several states.

We are grateful to the entire care team of the Massachusetts General/North Shore Cancer Center and to the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers for the exceptional care and devotion they gave to Jerry throughout his illness. We also want to thank the many friends and acquaintances who gave generously of their time seeing that he was well cared for throughout his treatment.

Jerry was born on March 3, 1941 in Baltimore, Maryland where he attended parochial schools and where he served as an altar boy for many years in the Shrine of the Little Flower Parish. He graduated in 1959 from Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore , labored at Bethlehem Steel and served in the United States Navy. He attended the University of Maryland at College Park where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Business and Public Administration in 1972. He attained a Master of Education in Law Enforcement from Coppin State University two years later. Jerry had a marvelously varied career in human services, first as a rehabilitation counselor for the Maryland State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, then as a training coordinator for the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Manpower Resources and finally as an Educational Consultant, Assistant Director of Community Corrections, and Assistant Director of the Treatment Program Office for the Maryland State Division of Corrections in Baltimore. He wore many hats through these years as he planned the development of a community corrections network in Maryland and monitored the delivery of treatment programs in minimum security institutions

With his relocation to Fort Lauderdale in 1983, he assumed a range of duties for the Broward County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services Division. During his almost eleven years with the Division, he was the Substance Abuse Program Supervisor and then the Assistant Director of the Broward Addiction Recovery Center in Fort Lauderdale, a comprehensive substance abuse agency, supervising the design and development of a 28-day residential program, of a perinatal addictions program, of a nationally recognized drug court treatment program, and of an intensive day treatment program for crack cocaine users. Throughout his tenure at BARC, he gained a wide reputation for developing effective and compassionate services and won the admiration and affection of the large staff of workers he guided and managed.

He continued to work in the field of addictions management when he moved with his partner Bob to Boston in 1994 and became the Criminal Justice Coordinator for the Boston Office for Treatment Improvement. He soon joined the Habit Management Institute in Lowell as Director of its Methadone Treatment Program and elevated his clinic there to progressively higher levels of census and efficiency for seventeen years until his illness forced him to take disability leave in March of 2014.

On August 15, 2004 Jerry and Bob were married with the full legal sanction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, happily formalizing in matrimony a relationship which began in Baltimore in 1981. Both he and his spouse feel blessed and privileged to have been among the first in the country to enjoy the full, first-class recognition of their long and loving alliance. Jerry was respected by everyone whose life he touched for his unerring perceptiveness about people, his generosity of spirit, his sharp mind, his exemplary administrative skills, and his coolly commanding presence. He was especially gifted working with an addictions population who respected the compassionate, but relentlessly decisive, manner with which he supervised their care and exercised his authority as the clinic’s director. Jerry and his spouse Bob enjoyed discovering and exploring new places to expand their view of the world. They found time to explore the treasures of Europe as well as the three places where they lived together: the stimulating urban culture of Baltimore and nearby Washington, D.C., the tropical splendors of South Florida and the Keys, and the rich natural beauties and history of Boston and Cape Cod.

Jerry held tight to the early friends he made in Baltimore and nurtured wonderful new relationships through his geographical moves. He was endowed with outstanding verbal gifts, winning attention for his poetry and his beautiful command of the English language in prose. He was a singularly voracious reader of fiction and would think nothing of reading four novels at a time while never losing track of the individual plots and characters in all of them. As a testament to the positive force Jerry had in so many lives, whether as a treasured friend from ages past or as a new friend, everyone who came in contact with him was drawn by his quiet charm, his dry sense of humor, and his easy affability. He had a special relationship with his Labrador retriever Miles and relished the many places and new friends he discovered while walking his beloved dog. Jerry leaves a lasting legacy of love and affection with his large family, his friends, his colleagues, and his clients over the years. He lived an exemplary life of service to others, helping especially those who might be thought of as living in the margins of society. He will now reap the eternal rewards of that lifetime of dedication and service. Jerry will always be missed and will never be forgotten for all the personal riches he brought to those he loved and who loved him so much in return.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Jerry’s memory to the Massachusetts General/North Shore Cancer Center, 102 Endicott Street, Danvers 01923 or to the Kaplan Family Hospice House, 78 Liberty Street, Danvers 01923.

• Viewing location: Mackey Funeral Home, Route 114, 128 S. Main St. Middleton
• Viewing date: 2015-02-16 5-8pm
• Service type: Mass, date: 2015-02-17 9am
• Service location: St. Mary’s DanversBurial type:at a later date.