Nordstrom was born October 3, 1944 in Oakland, CA and passed away February 8th in McKinleyville, CA. He was the son of Viola and Milton Nordstrom. Gerry lived in Honolulu, Hawaii and Fairbanks, Alaska as a boy. His family moved to Belmont, CA when he was in middle school and he graduated from Carlmont High School.
As he was growing up he traveled the world a number of times which gave him lifelong insights into different cultures and life. Throughout his life he had a strong affinity for animals which led him to graduate from Humboldt State University in 1966 with a degree in Zoology. That same year he married his wife of 46 years, Mary. After graduation they went into the Peace Corps and spent two years in the Kingdom of Tonga (South Pacific) where Gerry taught biology at Tupou High School. After leaving Tonga they spent months in New Zealand and Australia before returning to the U.S. They settled in Janesville, CA for the next 45 years raising their two sons, Tagg and Sten.
The boys were always the center of his life and for the recent past there were two new little boys in his life, grandsons Miles and Riley.
Gerry spent his life teaching in one way or another, first in Tonga followed by 30 years teaching biology and ecology at Lassen High School. The highlight of every academic year at Lassen was the biology field trip. He delighted in watching student's awe and excitement as they experienced new environments. Even more satisfying to him was watching their personal revelations while discovering new things about themselves and seeing their classmates in a different light - as people rather than labels. Nothing levels people more than huddling, cold and wet, under a tarp at a picnic table at Patrick's Point.
Gerry felt that public service was a duty and went out of his way to try to provide positive contributions to the community in a variety of ways. During the years his boys were in 4-H or soccer he was always ready to lend a hand. He sometimes taught night school biology and organic gardening at Lassen College.
For two summers he taught a science curriculum to teachers for the University of Hawaii. He was a charter member of the Eagle Lake Audubon Society, often acting as the public representative, speaking for environmental issues in front of groups and government agencies. His many years as the "environmental rep" on BLM's Northeastern California Resource Advisory Council were a source of great accomplishment to him. He appreciated working with the diverse members of the team and relished discussing differing points of view. He thought of the council as a great learning experience; eventually, the barriers of ideological differences and prejudices were broken down with the realization that all participants were heading toward the same goal and compromises in their personal agendas would reach that goal. As a result he was proud of the restored health to the high desert ecosystem facilitated by the decisions of the Council.
Some of his great joys, aside from hanging out with his boys, were taking care of his large apple orchard, birding, being out surveying the health of the countryside and leading birding field trips which enabled him to share the joys of nature with others. For the past 10 years he and Mary enjoyed spending time at the house they built in Trinidad. Gerry loved being back at the coast, walking the beaches and birding in the redwoods. He especially enjoyed his passive solar home while watching the crab boats come back to Trinidad Harbor in the evenings. He loved having his boys and their families close by as he could watch the boys grow into men; he followed their careers with pride and kept tabs on the grandsons.
Gerry moved into a memory care residence in 2011 and Mary made the permanent move to Trinidad. The family wishes to express their gratitude to the staff at Renaissance in McKinleyville for their kind and loving care. Gerry is survived by his wife, Mary of Trinidad, son Tagg (Jayne) of Fortuna and son Sten (Amy) and two grandsons, Miles and Riley of Trinidad. His puns, wit, interesting tidbits and companionship will be sorely missed. The family requests remembrances be sent to Lassen Land and Trails Trust in his name. They can be reached at www.LLTTweb.org or at P. O. Box 1461 Susanville, CA 96130. LL&TT promotes the conservation and health of Lassen County lands, ecosystems and outdoor recreation. Please sign the guest book at www.TImes-Standard.com, click obits.
