Gerald J. Lasala

"Jerry"Jerry LaSala passed quietly in his sleep at home Wednesday morning, following a long illness. Jerry's life centered on his family, his church and his community. One of ten children, and father of five boys, Jerry always enjoyed the love and activities of a large family. He especially enjoyed time with his ten grandchildren.Jerry served in World War II in the Army Air Corps as a Sergeant in a motor pool (a frightening thought given his innate mechanical abilities). He was honorably discharged at the end of the war and went home to open Risden's Tea Room in Pompton Lakes, NJ, where he met his future wife and lifelong love, Claire Harman. They married in 1948 and wasted no time in starting a family. Jerry then opened the Hy-way Superette, also in Pompton Lakes. This was followed by the Little Brown Jug, a tavern in Bloomingdale. After receiving legal notices from the attorneys for Hiram Walker, the copyright holder, Jerry changed the name of the tavern to the Mau Mau Club. Go figure. Staying in Bloomingdale, Jerry ran an Italian restaurant named for his father, Ciro. Taking a break from entrepreneurship, Jerry became a salesman, a career that would last the rest of his life, in varying businesses. After many successes with Kem (including winning several color TV's), Jerry opened his own business, Lakeland Chemical, selling largely to government and non-profit organizations. At the same time, he ran his own catering business, Wedgewood Catering, largely out of his church, St. Anthony's in Butler. Jerry involved all his boys in the catering business, and their spouses as well as the family grew.Jerry was also dedicated to church and community. He was active with St. Anthony's, acting as an usher and volunteering in other ways, in addition to the catering he did there. He received the Francis Medal from the Order of Friars Minor for his work with the Church. He was a charter member of the Elks in Pompton Lakes, and later Saints and Sinners, an Italian fraternal organization, and the Kiwanis Club, at one time serving as President. In addition, Jerry created a charitable organization, the Tin Cup Scholarship, running golf outings to raise funds to provide scholarships to local students in need.Jerry's other interests included horse racing, spectator sports, and especially golf. He continued play well into his eighties.Jerry is now joining his wife Claire, who passed five years ago. He is survived by his sons Jerry and his wife Sue, Steve and his wife Jennifer, John, Jim and his wife Teri and Jeff, as well as grandchildren Cory, Meaghan, Hannah, Lauren, Jill, Bryan, Adrian, Michelle, Carrie and Claire. The viewing will be held Friday, December 5 at Morrison's Funeral Home in Butler from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral mass will be 11 a.m. at St. Anthony's Church in Butler. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Jerry's personal cause, the Tin Cup Scholarship, P. O. Box 289, Riverdale, NJ 07457.