Gerald Stern Obituary

Your writing will be remembered.

My condolences goes out to the Stern's family. He was a talented poet who won a National Book Award in 1998 for his collection “This Time: New and Selected Poems.” A legacy to be cherished. May your heavenly Father comfort the family in days and months ahead.

My deepest condolences goes out to the family. May God help you get through this trying time.

I loved and admired Gerald Stern and will miss him deeply, and our Planet is poorer for his loss. His poetry expresses his acute sensitivity to and compassion for the distressed -- suffering humans, animals, Mother Earth. The Jewish sentiment of empathy which characterizes so many of his poems is beautifully evident in "Behaving Like A Jew" about a roadkilled opossum, an excerpt of which I quote here: "...I am going to be unappeased at the opossum's death/I am going to behave like a Jew/and touch his face, and stare into his eyes,/and pull him off the road./I am not going to stand in a wet ditch/...and praise the beauty and the balance/and lose myself in the immortal stream/when my hands are still a litle shaky/ from his stiffness and his bulk/and my eyes are still weak and misty/from his round belly and his curved fingers/and his black whiskers and his little dancing feet." (1977)

My condolences to Gerald Stern's family and friends and to the poetry world. Mr. Stern was one of the great voices of our time.

Our poetry chapter in a small Florida town was honored by Gerald's appearance at a Poetry Festival that we hosted over 15 years ago. He delighted in everything new that he saw and experienced--a bumpy ride from the airport, the weeds along a rural road, and the vintage schoolhouse where we gathered. He absorbed it all, and I suspect he might have used some of that in a poem. That's what poets do, and he was one of the best.

My deepest condolences to Gerald’s family in this sad time.
I would like to share a story of Gerald’s kindness:
My daughter and I were reading a poem one of Gerald’s friends had posted near his home in Lambertville, when Gerald called out a hello from his porch and invited us up. He and my daughter who was studying creative writing shared their thoughts for what became all of the afternoon, while I attended errands in town. We were very moved by Gerald’s encouragement of her pursuit, and of the respect and acceptance he showed to her own poetry. She went on to complete an MFA in creative writing at Columbia University, and over the years we have so often spoken together of his kind inspiration to her that serendipitous afternoon in Lambertville.
May he Rest In Peace

The Morning After
~ for Jerry Stern

I saw it last night
the red silk handkerchief
I tucked into your pocket
all that we could offer you
for your reading at the temple
You tied it round your neck
as you had promised
to wear it on your last launch
before you lifted into orbit
among galaxies light years
above the parallax coordinates
of the Pittsburgh and the Delaware.

Was one of the best writers of all time.

I was so fortunate to have Jerry as an English instructor as a freshman student at Temple University in 1956. He was of course an excellent teacher but more than that he inspired many of my study and career decisions later in life. I left the practice of law with a firm to represent teachers unions in collective bargaining at their outset in the 1960s. Jerry taught me that you must bring creativity to your work and daily living. We shared many early "growing up" experiences, He in Pittsburgh (where I lived and negotiated teacher contracts in the 1970s). I, in West Philadelphia. I credit my love of fine arts and fine wines to Jerry. I was again able to meet with him several years ago at a Poetry Festival in Delray Beach, Fl. I was thrilled to see him and hear his Readings. He was the star of the festival. You meet a limited number of people during your life that you love and consider "Great Souls" Jerry was one of mine. He was a blessing to all who had the opportunity to know him. My wife Carol and I extend our deepest sympathy to his Partner and family.