Coach Gerald Mark Disch (Jerry), passed away of natural causes May 20, 2021 at his home in Atlantic Beach, Florida, two months shy of his 95th birthday. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Lillie Atter Disch; five children, Debra Criman (Mike), Mike (Annika), Sam (Vera), Dan (Barbara) and Katy Millan (Noel); nine grandchildren; and seven great grandchildren.

Jerry was born in Tacoma, Washington July 31, 1926 to Mark and Florence Disch. He grew up in hardscrabble logging camps during much of the Great Depression, before his family settled in Willamina, Oregon. He graduated from Willamina high school in 1943 and promptly joined the Navy at 17. In 1944, he earned his wings, and as a Naval Aviator, served as a squadron pilot on the USS Princeton. During his time as a Navy Pilot, he made over 65 carrier landings and served in SE Asia at the close of the war. He loved the Navy and he loved to fly, an experience that shaped his life for the next 70 years.

He met his wife, Lillie, at the old Jacksonville Beach pier, while he was stationed at NAS. After getting married in 1949, they moved back to Oregon, where he completed his degree at Linfield College in McMinnville. He played and lettered in football and track and field. After graduating in 1952, he was hired at Moro, Oregon Senior high school. There, he was a mathematics teacher, head football coach, head basketball coach, and head baseball coach, sometimes, simultaneously. His next stop, in 1955, was at Mclaughlin high school in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. He taught Math, was the head football and head track and field coach.

In 1957, after three children and one too many cold winters with snow, Jerry took his family to Jacksonville and Lillie's family. He lived and worked and raised a family of five kids here, was a grandfather and great grandfather, happily, for the rest of his life.

Jerry coached football and track at Englewood high school from 1957-65, developing one of the city's best track and field programs. In 1965, he became head football coach and Athletic Director at Forrest (Westside) high school. There he was Coach of the Year in 68, his football teams won two conference championships, a district championship in 1976, and played in several high school bowl games. As the Athletic Director he worked hard for all sports, including girl's high school athletics and the women who coached them. One of the things he was most proud of was that he integrated sports at Forrest high school, beginning in the 60s. The difficulties for some of the school's African American athletes was never lost on him, and he worked in his way, to make sure that the opportunity to play and participate was open to all kids.

After earning his Masters Degree from UNF in 1976, he moved into administration, becoming, from 1983-1992, Duval County Supervisor for Athletics and Physical Education. It was a job that he believed was enormously important. What made Jerry unique was that he never lost his belief in the capacity for sports to teach, to instruct, and to mold the kids who played, and to impart the fundamental importance of honesty, hard work, toughness, and self-discipline. Those beliefs are what he brought to the job, every day, until he retired after 35 years. He was inducted into the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1993.

Throughout his life, his greatest joy was his family, his wife and daughters and sons, his grand kids and great grand kids and nieces and nephews. We will all remember him and carry our love for him in our hearts.

A Catholic service will be held Wednesday, May 26th @ 12pm, at St.John the Baptist Catholic church, on Mayport Rd in Atlantic Beach, FL. There will be a reception at St John's following the service. Per the guidelines of the Diocese of St Augustine and the State of Florida, face coverings are suggested for unvaccinated but optional. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to support the wonderful work of Jacksonville Community Hospice.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Arlington Park Funeral Home.