Spearin, Preston & Burrows was founded by his grandfather, and it gave him great pride to manage and grow the family business alongside his brother George, expanding its marine focus to also include sewer rehabilitation by betting on a new, unproven technology called Insituform. Jerry became President and CEO at the age of 38, eventually retiring in 2007. After a short stint in retirement, he was summoned back to work by the General Constructors Association to lead labor relations. He worked briefly for Peter Kiewit before retiring again in 2016. Jerry is a past President of the General Contractors Association of New York City and The Moles, both leading heavy construction organizations in New York. He was also a member of the Hudson Yards Task Force and was a member of the Executive Committee of the New York Building Congress. As part of his lifelong involvement with the General Contractors Association. He negotiated dozens of union contracts and helped mediate disputes. Uniquely, in this type of role, Jerry was beloved by the unions for his fairness, honesty and humanity. Jerry was also a trustee of the College of New Rochelle and served two terms on the board of the Buck Hill Falls Company, was a member of Lot & Cot, served on the Architecture and Review Committee, and was involved in countless other projects to improve Buck Hill Falls. Jerry loved Buck Hill Falls, spending his free time with multiple generations of children and grandchildren that came to summer with him. He was an avid gardener and cook. He spent ten weekends in the summer of 2005 attempting to make the perfect roast chicken.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 61 years, Susan; his three children and their partners, Susan & John Lawler, Jerry Neumann & Noelle Thurlow, and Matthew & Maureen Neumann; eleven grandchildren; three grandchildren-in-law; and his great-grandson.
Visitation, C.C. Van Emburgh, 306 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ, Sunday April 13, 4pm to 6pm. Funeral Mass, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 1 Passaic Street, Ridgewood, NJ, Monday April 14, 10:30 am.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Parkinson's research through The Michael J. Fox Foundation, https://tribute.michaeljfox.org/tribute-page.php?id=3163.
Source: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/gerard-neumann-obituary?id=58103155
