Gerald M. “Jerry” Hauer

Gerald M. Hauer, 91, Centerville, OH, passed away October 30, 2024.

Gerald (Jerry) was born on April 18, 1933, in Dayton, Ohio. He is preceded in death by his wife Norma, parents Michael and Ann (Servaites), sister Marilyn (Hauer) Crotty and brother Don. Jerry is survived by his children Shary Hauer, Clearwater Beach, FL, Michael Hauer and wife Nancy, Louisville, KY, James and wife Kathleen, Dayton; William and wife Rhonda, Dayton; Nancy Hauer and partner Greg Vogel, Seattle; Patsy Engelhardt and husband Francisco, San Diego; six grandchildren Tiffani Lykins (Mathew), Eric Hauer (Kassie), Holli Davis (Russ), Ashley Konnegan (Alan), Jacklyn Vietor (Eric) and Paulo Engelhardt; and three great grandchildren.

Jerry graduated from Chaminade High School in 1951, attended Notre Dame 1951-53, where he played the clarinet in the marching band and graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Business Administration in 1956. In addition, in October 1956, he graduated from the Marine Officer’s School in Quantico, VA. He served as First lieutenant United States Marine Corps, 1956-1958.

Introduced by a mutual friend, Dayton is where Jerry met his wife to be Norma Jean Browning. Following their first date sledding down Suicide Hill and months of long-distance courtship while Jerry was in basic officer training in Quantico Va, they married in Dayton on October 6, 1956. Shortly thereafter, they moved to California where they were stationed at El Toro Marine Corps base. The couple eventually moved back to Dayton so Jerry could run the family business and start their family.

Jerry was President of Hauer Music Company, founded by his father Michael Hauer, in 1937. He began his career working at the 34 E. First Street store when he was 12 years old, cleaning the showroom windows and repairing accordions. Now in its 87th year of operation and 4th generation, Hauer Music has been consistently ranked in the top 200 music stores in the country. Jerry was also an audiophile who designed two first-in-the-area audio suites at the Kettering Hauer Music store, showcasing pioneering hi-fi offerings. He had the distinction of being one of the first Sony stereo component representatives in the U.S. in the early 70's. 

While managing the business, Jerry was an ardent community leader with an insatiable spirit of volunteerism. His persistent commitment to the preservation of downtown Dayton was recognized when he led the renovation of the previous home of Hauer Music, an abandoned canal building on South Patterson Boulevard, that was painstakingly restored and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

From a community perspective, Jerry’s contributions to the Dayton area were certainly vast and far-reaching. He served as Board Member of the Montgomery County Historical Society, Member of the Board of Directors Muse Machine Inc., and Top Brass Foundation. From 1981-1991, he led the effort to assure that the Children’s Parade was a highlight of Dayton’s annual Holiday Festival and was Chairman of the Holiday Festival and Parade in 1992. In addition, he served as Executive Committee member for the Downtown Dayton Partnership and Board member for Preservation Dayton from 1992-1995.

Jerry’s dedication to preserving Dayton’s past was legion. He helped lead the Save Our Trolley initiative to put the Wright Flyer trolleys back on the streets in Dayton. He was deeply involved in the efforts to save the historic Dayton State Hospital from demolition which was eventually transformed to 10 Wilmington Place senior living community. At the time, it was the largest historic renovation ever attempted in Ohio and is designated by National Register of Historic Places. He invested hundreds of hours to save the Wright Brothers first bicycle shop now designated by the National Park Service, improving the Neon and Canal districts, the Save NCR’s Building 26 campaign, and countless other preservation initiatives. For his leadership, he was honored with the Outstanding Preservationist award by Preservation Dayton and awarded The President’s Club of Dayton, Citizen Legion of Honor in 1995.

Jerry was also passionate about maintaining and conserving Dayton’s green spaces. In 1995, he received the Governor’s Award for distributing 102,000 trees through the Montgomery County Free Tree Program. He also served as co-chair of the Legacy of Green Committee for Celebration 1996. The Five Rivers Metro Parks named him volunteer of the year in 1997.

He served as the President of the Rotary of Dayton from 1998-99, where he led a successful $275,000 campaign for the YouthBuild Project. One of Jerry’s most rewarding projects, this endeavor enabled over 200 at-risk high school youths to learn construction trades by transforming condemned houses on Frank Street into livable structures. “I have a great love of helping you kids any way we can,” he once said. “That’s our future.” 

In 1998, he was the recipient of the Special Achievement Award by The University of Dayton and The National Alumni Association. Jerry also served on the Sinclair Community College Board of Trustees.

When Jerry was not managing Hauer Music or serving the community, he excelled in many of his favorite avocations including gardening, woodworking, fishing, and walking his beloved black lab Eddie on the Hills and Dales Park trails.

 The viewing will be held November 11, 4:30-6:30 pm at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 E. Stroop Road. The funeral service will be November 12, 11:00 am at Holy Angels Church, 1322 Brown Street. The burial will directly follow at Calvary Cemetery, 1625 Calvary Avenue.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial contribution to the Gospel Mission, PO Box 1141, Dayton, OH 45401; the Five Rivers Metro Parks http://www.metroparks.org/donate; the Dayton History Center, Carillon Historical Park https://www.daytonhistory.org/support/donate, or your favorite Dayton charity.

The Jerry Hauer family would like to thank his angel caregivers Rachael Miecznikowski, Alicia Lucas, Janae Goldsmith and Shayla Ivey and the team at Symphony of Centerville for their outstanding care.