Gerard Francis Thornell, Jr. of Norwell, died March 12, 2018 after a brief illness. Born September 22, 1941 in Quincy, MA, he graduated North Quincy High School in 1959 and received a degree in Accounting from Northeastern University, graduating in 1964. ROTC trained, he served as a First Lieutenant in the Army in Vietnam from 1965-1966. He worked at Howard Johnson's for 10 years, both during college and after returning from Vietnam, before leaving to begin a 36-year career as a Financial Manager for the Polaroid Corporation. Jerry started a family in North Easton before moving to Norwell, where he was an active member of UCC Norwell for 40 years, taking on multiple leadership roles, and - in recent years - was a dedicated staff member as Executive Minister, overseeing all things financial.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Carol Beals Thornell; his son Peter Thornell, his wife Julienne, and their children Abigail and Cooper; his daughter Laura Wyskiel, her husband Derek, and their children Connor, Chase, and Camden; his sister Linda Wainwright, and her son Joshua.

A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, March 24 at 11am at UCC Norwell. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to: UCC Norwell c/o Endowment Fund, 460 Main Street, p.o. Box 501, Norwell, MA 02061.