I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be there to say goodbye to Jerry today, but I was able to fly back from Hong Kong this past weekend to spend time with his family and friends. On my flight back, I kept thinking that when I stepped off the plane, Jerry would be there waiting for me in his Prius, with that goofy smile on his face and that smart-phone attached to his ear. I wished that everybody had just told me all this as a joke to get me to come back to LA. But then I remembered that the only person crazy enough and the only person who loved me enough to pull something like that was Jerry.

I could not be prouder to say that I spent the last three years of his life with him, that he was mine and I was his for most of that time, and that our relationship was the longest and most meaningful either of us had ever known. We met at UCLA, at a fall rush party for his fraternity. Jerry was on crutches at the time because he had just gotten knee surgery. One of my friends drank a bit too much and had to be taken home, and Jerry gladly volunteered. Even though he could barely walk on his own, he was kind enough to carry my friend into his house, place her on his bed, and offer me grapes… after he had just met the two of us that day. I didn’t know it at the time, but that experience was truly definitive of Jerry’s character.

Jerry and I never agreed on anything, regardless of the topic. To say that the two of us were opposites was an understatement. But Jerry was by far the most endearing and happiest person I have ever known. He was the kind of person who, when I was too tired and lazy to drive 40-minutes to see him in Diamondbar, he would come to my apartment in West LA, pick me up, and take me all the way back to Diamondbar with him, just so I wouldn’t have to be in the car by myself. Jerry was the kind of person who would wake up early on Sundays to pick up Starbucks coffee and the New York Times for me, and then take my neighbor’s copy of the LA Times. He was the kind of person who, when we couldn’t decide where to eat dinner, he would bring me to dinner at one place with a takeout bag from another under his jacket. On my 19^th birthday, Jerry was working at Gelfand, an accounting firm that handled musicians’ finances. One of his clients happened to be Bon Jovi, whom I love. So Jerry bought a poster on e-bay, mailed it to Jon Bon Jovi’s personal residence asking him to autograph it for me, and nearly got fired. All of these things exemplify the kind of person Jerry was: selfless, innovative, resourceful, and audacious, but in the best way possible.

Jerry, you were the best friend and boyfriend I ever could have asked for, and even more, and I’m there with you, I’ll always be there with you, and it kills me I couldn’t be there physically to say goodbye one last time. You will always be my love, my college sweetheart, my best friend, my Jerry Berry. I love you.

Eulogies

Appreciation Remarks from Jerry's Sister......................................................................................................Ms. Andrea Chen

From Jerry's Cousin...............................................................................................................................Ms. Claudia Chen

From Jerry's Girlfriend.................................................................................................................................Ms. Vicki Chin

From Jerry's Friend at Trammell Crow...........................................................................................................Ms. Patti Maude

From Jerry's Friend at Trammell Crow..........................................................................................................Ms. Diana Wyant

From Jerry's Brother of Lambda Phi Epsilon.......................................................................................................Dr. Jack Chen

From Jerry's Brother of Lambda Phi Epsilon.......................................................................................................Mr. Frank Ngo

From Jerry's High School Friend......................................................................................................................Mr. Peter Kim

From Jerry's High School Friend....................................................................................................................Mr. Samuel Lin

From Jerry's Friend at Trammell Crow...............................................................................................................Mr. Ron Heim

Concluding Remarks From Jerry's Father.........................................................................................................Dr. Chao Chen

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