PASSING OF CAPT GERALD E NIEUSMA, DDS

Jerry was born in Holland, MI, on March 9, 1940. His family moved around a bit while he was younger, but Jerry grew up on a functioning farm and sawmill in Grand Haven, MI, where he met Judy in 1953. Jerry was a professional water skier and boat show stunt man during his high school years. He and Judy were married in 1962 between Jerry's attendance at Hope College and Dental School at University of Michigan. They put themselves through college and dental school. Shortly after graduating in 1966, with two children (Jim and Jeff) in tow, they embarked on an almost 30-year US Navy career. Duty stations included Camp Pendleton, USMC, Southern CA; the Vietnam War evacuation Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan (adding two more children: Joe and Jennifer); Camp Lejeune, NC; Portsmouth, VA; Puerto Rico; the Mediterranean Sea on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal; Oral Surgery training in the Dental program in Portsmouth, VA; CO of Dental and Oral Surgery Dept at the Hospital in Great Lakes, IL; Overseeing all the aspects of the Dental training program in Bethesda, MD; CO of Dental services and advisor to the Surgeon General at the Naval Regional Medical Center, Bethesda, MD; USS Comfort Hospital ship in theater during the Persian Gulf War. After retiring O6 from the Navy in 1991, Jerry was a Professor of Oral Surgery at the dental school program at West Virginia University from 1991 until 2010.