
WILMINGON — Gerald M. “Jerry” Callaghan, 83, died Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, at New Hanover Regional Medical Center due to complications with the COVID-19.
Jerry graduated from The Pennington School in 1955. Following high school, he joined the U.S. Navy as a corpsman and remained a proud veteran the rest of his life.
Following his discharge, he went into the family business, running the Neon bar on Hanover Street in downtown Trenton. He went on to sell the bar and worked for Amtrak until his retirement in 2002. He was an avid Philadelphia sports fan, especially his beloved Eagles. He will rest easy knowing they finally won a Super Bowl in 2017. His outgoing personality and bright sense of humor, along with his deep compassion, warmed the hearts of those who knew and loved him.
He was preceded in death by his parents, P. James and Christine Callaghan; and dearly cherished son, James J. Callaghan.
He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Joanne Callaghan of Wilmington; son and daughter-in-law, Kevin and Lauren Callaghan of Philadelphia; daughter and son-in-law Mary and Jamaal Cato of Wilmington; beloved grandson, Deron Jamaal “D.J.” Cato; cousin, Freda Leyrer of Robbinsville; and several cousins in New Jersey, North Carolina and Ireland. He was blessed with many lifelong friends.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Jerry’s name to a charity of your choice or K9s for Warriors. K9s for Warriors trains shelter dogs to become service dogs for our returning warriors.
Share online condolences with the family at Wilmington Funeral & Cremation.