Gerald Samuel Barad – physician, horticulturalist, husband and father – died on Saturday, 16 January at the Morristown Medical Center after receiving emergency treatment for a heart ailment. He was 92.

Known as “Jerry” to family and friends, he served for thirty years as Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey.

He married Beatrice “Bea” Krival in 1946 after a long courtship that started as teenagers in summer camp. Jerry and Bea grew up in Brooklyn and moved to Hunterdon County in the late 1950s where they raised four children. They were married for 68 years until Bea’s death in August 2014.

Jerry served with the U.S. Army Medical Department in India during World War II. After the war, he completed medical studies at the Cornell University Medical College and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU Bellevue Hospital.

While on a road trip to the southwestern United States in 1949, Jerry and Bea were crowned the first king and queen of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. It was among the first of many travels they shared together to remote succulent habitats and homes of amateur and professional desert plant enthusiasts around the world.

Jerry was a leader in the development of the Hunterdon Medical Center; joining shortly after its opening and continuing up to his retirement in 1987. An early advocate of sex education and family-centered childbirth, he co-authored a book for expectant parents with Lamaze method pioneer Elisabeth Bing. His thoughtful and gentle care in helping families through pregnancy and delivery endeared him to many in the community.

After Bea died, Jerry continued to live on his farm in Delaware Township caring for his plants, sheep, and cats. He remained engaged in the world of horticulture, showing his prized plants at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and participating in the Philadelphia Cactus and Succulent Society where he attended a group meeting just last week.

Jerry is survived by his children David, Dorothy and Robert. His second child, Richard, died in 1985. He is the beloved grandfather of Alexis, Justin, Ashley, Leah, Noah, Aaron, Richard and Samuel, and great-grandfather of Julien, Gavriel and Nathan.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 PM on Wednesday, 20 January at the Flemington Jewish Community Center, 5 Sergeantsville Road, Flemington, New Jersey. The family warmly welcomes everyone wishing to honor Jerry’s long and full life to participate in this celebration of his love and service.

All funeral arrangements are under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ. Burial next to his beloved Bea, will follow the service in the Flemington Jewish Community Center Cemetery, 67 Capner Street, Flemington, NJ.

Memorial gifts in Jerry’s name may be made to the Flemington Jewish Community Center, 5 Sergeantsville Road, Flemington, NJ 08822, the Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation, 9100 Wescott Drive, Suite 202, Flemington, New Jersey 08822, or HIAS, the refugee protection and resettlement agency, c/o: HIAS, Attn: Development Department, 333 7th Avenue, 16th floor, New York, NY 10001.

Please visit Jerry’s permanent memorial site at www.wrightfamily.com where one can send a public or private message of condolence as well as share stories and photographs of his life.