Gerald Winniston Willard
September 08, 1938, Norfolk, Virginia — July 28, 2009, Homer, Alaska
Buried in Seldovia City Cemetery Plot #596Gerald Winniston Willard was born in Norfolk, Virginia,on September 8, 1938 to WINNISTON ROBERT AND RUTH MARIE HAWK WILLARD. He grew up in Tacoma, married ALBERTA GRACE GEDLING on April 29, 1960 and they moved to Seldovia in 1972 to work for the Homer Electric Company. His work was so appreciated that the electric generation plant in Seldovia is now named for him. He was mayor of Seldovia from 1989-91. He was Seldovia’s first EMT and he and his wife trained other citizens to become EMTs. Gerry died in Seldovia on July 28, 2009.
Gerry Willard’s home in Seldovia was the old hospital building: 
“There was an Assembly of God preacher who rented the hospital building before I got here in 1972. Downstairs in the back corner he put in a door with a jitterbug jackhammer – he cut the concrete right down to the floor. But it’s below ground level (I guess he thought God wasn’t going to let it rain on that side of the building!). Then he brought in a professional shoe sole machine, sewing machine, buffing stuff, and ran it on a long shaft with pulleys. He did shoe repair and saddle repair. He had a small congregation of cannery workers and they couldn’t necessarily afford to tithe, so he had the additional income. But pretty soon he packed up the machinery and left. The Assembly of God took the building back, and I bought it from them in 1978, I think. I had the concrete basement wall repaired where the door was. The shoe sewing machine was owned by Chris Wheeler, and didn’t have anything to do with the hospital. I bought it from Chris. With a little WD-40 I got it running. “
Seldovia poet Andy Anderson says “Gerry was loved by everyone and was very active in local politics. He was an ambassador for Seldovia. I often referred to him as “A One Man Chamber of Commerce” because he was always so helpful to everyone and so welcoming to anyone who was visiting Seldovia. He wore hats he had made which were monogrammed with “JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE” and he really felt Seldovia was his paradise. He made friends easily and would come to the aid of most anyone in need. I’ve never met another man like him or one I’ve admired more. He passed away suddenly one morning at his home when he was setting in his rocking chair, drinking a cup of coffee, watching the news on TV and getting ready to go to work. I’m happy he never suffered in the end. He is, and always will be Seldovia’s Ambassador. I wrote this poem after he passed away in a tribute to this great man.”
Seldovia’s Ambassador by Andy Anderson
This writing is about Seldovia’s ambassador A man whom everybody admired. Gerald Willard was the gentleman’s name, A power plant manager HEA had hired.
This man knew well his calling, He befriended everyone in town, And if someone needed anything at all, Gerry Willard was always around.
Gerry was also a very likeable man, A content and happy guy, JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE, He’d always say to passersby.
To him it was more than just a quote, He meant each and every work When you asked the man how he was, This phrase would always be heard.
If you were down or feeling low, And Gerry Willard came your way, He always knew just what to do, And he knew just what to say.
He might even do his little dance, Or tell you a story you’d heard before, But after his contact your day was brighter, Of that you could be sure.
I’ve seen him stop total strangers,
To his “Wild Irish Rose”.
But Gerry also left way too soon, This man whom I called friend, But he left the way he would want to leave, No long suffering in the end.
But none the less he is now gone, And we must continue to onward strive, It’s important we learn what Gerry taught us, While he was still on this earth alive.
We should all be more like Gerry Willard, And help other people all we can, If we would take the example he left us, It would be quite a tribute to this man.
I’m sure Gerry is now in heaven, With Lynette sitting close at hand, He probably has a gold guitar, And he’s playing songs all the way to the end.
Another ANDY ANDERSON memory:
One year, Gerry Willard and a bunch of people got together and gave me a pig. Who better to have a pig than the chief of police, he said. But I got even the next year, I gave him a goat. And so instead of getting somebody else’s goat he had one of his very own. And then, of course, he gave me a dope sniffing turkey and – There is one story that I always tell that was so, so funny. Willard Farms over in Homer, out the East Road, had a set of matching burros. Donkeys. And so Gerry had one of those brought over here on a boat. As a joke. He wasn’t going to give it to me or anything. He awarded it to me that night, but it was all, you know, just for the crowd thing, give the chief of police a jackass, you know. Well, it turns out that he had to send it back. And he tells me all about this after it’s all over. And so he couldn’t get it loaded the next morning. So I being from the farm and all we used to do a lot of that, so I helped him load this – this burro or this donkey. And it was a trailer with a plywood floor in it and, of course, wood sides and everything and no top or anything. But once we got him up in there and got him tied off, he kept pawing at it. And they took him on a boat and they took him back over. And boy, a light bulb went off for me. I thought, I’m going to get that Willard once and for all. So I called the guy that was going to transport him and I said you got to do me a favor. I said call Gerry Willard after you deliver this this donkey, but tell him that that donkey pawed a hole through that floor and that you guys didn’t know it and you drug his leg off on the road taking him home. And I said really make him believe this. And that was hook, line, and sinker. Gerry was just about in tears.