Gerald Cole, age 72, of Port Huron died November 9, 2011 in his home surrounded by his family. He was born April 24, 1939 in Port Huron and lived in the area for the past 40 years. He married Diane Arnett on May 25, 1963 in Port Huron. Jerry served his country in the U.S. Navy for 12 years, and was honorably discharged as a Machinist Mate 1st Class. He was wounded in Vietnam and received the Purple Heart. He also served during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and was a member of the Coast Guard Auxillary. He was employed at Diamond Crystal Cargill Salt for over 23 years.
He is survived by his wife Diane Cole; a daughter, Julianne (Fred) Harrington; 2 sons, Scott (Masami) Cole and Christopher (Bekcy) Cole; 11 grandchildren, Kathryn, Jessica, Kyle, Zacharay, Nathan, Tyler, Corey, Joshua, Scott, Abigail, and Yuta; 1 great-grandson, Jason; 2 brothers, Timothy (Joanne) Cole, and David Cole; a sister, Kathy (Edward) Groh; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son Jason Cole and two sisters. A funeral service will take place at 10 am on Saturday in the Smith Family Funeral home. A graveside committal service will follow in Caswell Cemetery under the auspices of the st clair county allied veterans council.