In Memoriam: Jack Kerr

Jack Francis Kerr, of Wynnewood, PA, beloved husband and father, died at home on October 18, 2023, age 73, of prostate cancer.

Jack is survived by his wife of 31 years, Mary Ayres, and those he deemed his three finest accomplishments: sons Justin (Suzanne) and Ian (Andrea LaPira), and daughter Kathryn. He is also survived by four wonderful grandchildren: Nolan, Luke, Declan and Paige, as well as innumerable cousins and second cousins. His former spouse and mother of his two sons also survives him.

Son of John and Kathryn (Smith) Kerr, Jack was born at St. Vincent's Hospital and grew up in southwest Philadelphia. He served as a SAPER in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1973, where he was based at Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely, always acknowledging his luck being based in the cold Arctic over the tropical locales of Southeast Asia. After serving in the military, Jack received an Associate's Degree from Temple University, and a Bachelor's of Architecture degree from Drexel University. He was a Registered Architect and member of the American Institute of Architects since 1981. He started at the design/build firm of Robert E. Lamb specializing in mainframe computer centers. He pivoted to healthcare architecture, spending most of his career specializing in hospital facilities design at the healthcare architecture firms Medifac, Ballinger, and Array Architects, with a stint client side as Director of Facilities Planning with AHERF/Tenet hospitals in Philadelphia. For many years, he chaired the Philadelphia Academy of Architecture for Health committee on health care facilities. He retired in 2015.

Jack loved to travel. He went as far north as Iceland and Point Barrow, AK, and south to Invercargill New Zealand, and experienced cruises, tropical resorts, world capitals and national parks among his many travels. Jack and his wife Mary owned 42 acres of woodlands with a hybrid American Chestnut research orchard in Schuylkill County where they enjoyed many trips with their daughter to their off-grid cabin. As a member of the PA/NJ Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation, Jack served as a volunteer for many years at forestry conferences and the PA Farm Show.

Jack was a devoted husband and father, kind and generous and loving, always calm and even-tempered. He spent many hours in retirement doing genealogical research on his extended and far-flung Irish family tree. He enjoyed good wine, Mary's home cooking, rentals at the Jersey shore with friends and family, and in recent years meeting for coffee with a group of retired men friends.

Jack wanted anyone who remembers him to raise a glass (or two or three) in his memory. On Friday, October 27, 2023, we will remember Jack. The family will receive relatives and friends from 10 am, with the Celebration of Life at 11 am at the Inn at Villanova, Radnor, PA.

In lieu of flowers or donations, he requested unexpected and unsolicited random acts of kindness in his name. If you would like to plant a tree, please consider a donation directly to the American Chestnut Foundation at ACF.org.