In Memoriam: John S. Kerbs

From Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home.

John S. Kerbs, of Old Greenwich, formerly of New York City, passed away on February 4, 2016. He was 89.

Born November 9, 1926, the youngest son of Jeanne E. Kerbs and William Kallman Kerbs, brother of Edward A. Kerbs and Carlee Kerbs Walker, and loving husband of Hildegard Johnson Kerbs, all of whom predeceased him, John was a paradigmatic member of that greatest generation.

Although he lost a leg and very nearly his life at the age of 15 in an accident at a camp in Vermont, John never complained and scarcely acknowledged that misfortune, quickly returning to his studies at The Lawrenceville School and Yale University. As a young adult, John was active in such adventurous pursuits as hunting, racing midget cars, and flying airplanes before embarking on a career as a stock broker, financial consultant, and businessman. His passion for electronics and technology, first developed when he worked with a team of Lawrenceville students rebuilding aircraft engines during WWII, was widely known among his family and friends.

Devoted father to his three sons and their wives, Edward and Jean Kerbs, Thomas and Karen Randles Kerbs, and John J. Kerbs and Jennifer Jolley; loving grandfather to John, Julia and Jennifer, John also leaves behind his devoted sister-in-law, Brynne Johnson Solowinski, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, at the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home 31 Arch St., Greenwich.