Frederick Joseph "Joe" Gerichs

Frederick Joseph "Joe" Gerichs, 74, of Nampa, passed away peacefully at home Monday, February 11, 2019 following a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Joe always led by example, his good character and kindness will have a lasting impact on his family for years to come.

Joe was born July 23, 1944 and was lovingly adopted by Donald R. and Dalpha L. Gerichs in Boise, Idaho. He was an only child, his father died before his 5th birthday. Joe graduated from Nampa High in 1962 and attended the College of Idaho and Northwest Nazarene College for several semesters. In 1964 he enlisted in the Army and spent one year in Worcester, MA for training and three years with the Army Security Agency in Germany, where he met and married his wife Elisabeth (Elli) Wojciekowski. They were blessed with four wonderful sons and celebrated 50 years of marriage last summer.

Upon his return to Nampa, Joe was involved in the Telecommunication field for several years before entering the travel business.  In 1977 he and a partner opened a travel agency in Nampa and later a second one in Meridian, ID. Both offices were ultimately sold to Global Travel, where he and Elli continued working for a number of years. In 2003 he went into business again installing Audio/ Video/Data communication infrastructure. He was an electronics technician at heart and a “Jack of all Trades”. If something was broken, Joe could fix it - in most cases.

Joe was baptized a Catholic in 1976 and became a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus soon after. He enjoyed the companionship and involvement in charity activities very much. He was their Financial Secretary for over two decades. He was also involved for many years with St. Paul’s School Fall Carnival.

Joe is survived by his wife Elisabeth, sons Michael (Terri), Stephen (Chiaki), Daniel (Leah) and Robert (Megan) and eleven grandchildren, Matthew, Madison, Jessica; William, Amy, Melanie; Hannah, Gavin; Sydney, Simone and Cole.

There will be a viewing at 6 pm on Friday, Feb.15, 2019 followed by recitation of the Rosary at 7 pm to be held at Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, Feb.16, 2019 at 12:30pm at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Nampa with burial following at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. A reception will convene following graveside services, location to be announced during the funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Paul’s building fund or the local St. Vincent de Paul’s Society is appreciated.

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