Gerald Ray Bartholomay

Gerald “Jerry” Bartholomay, 67, of Fargo, ND, died Thursday, November 14, 2013 at Eventide Nursing Home in Moorhead, MN. He received excellent care from Ecumen Nursing Home in Detroit Lakes, Eventide, and Hospice staff during his 10-month battle with cancer.

Gerald Ray Bartholomay was born July 9, 1946, in rural Sheldon, ND. He graduated from Sheldon High School in 1964 and attended college at Valley City State College where he played on the baseball team and received an English teaching degree.

Jerry married Mary Spiekermeier on May 31, 1969. They lived in Bowdon, ND during his first years as a teacher, football and basketball coach. In 1971, they moved to Ada, MN, where they lived for three years and made life-long friendships through his teaching and coaching positions. In 1974 they moved closer to home when Jerry took a job as an English teacher and head boys’ basketball coach in Enderlin, ND. Jerry’s belief in hard work kept him busy all year. During the summers, he tended the greens for the Enderlin Golf Course. He and Mary purchased the local Dairy Queen in 1979 and ran it throughout their stay in the Enderlin area. Always an athlete, Jerry played for years on the Enderlin amateur baseball team. Also during his years in Enderlin, Jerry pursued his Master of Science Degree in Education Administration from Tri-College University and completed his specialist degree coursework at North Dakota State University.

In 1988, he became the Superintendent of Sheldon Public Schools, and later, of Chaffee Public Schools as well. In 1991, they moved to Hillsboro, ND, where Jerry served as Superintendent as well as golf coach. Still an athlete, he found delight in playing on a successful old pro softball team in the summers. In 1999, he accepted a position as Superintendent for the Fargo Catholic Schools Network, moving him and Mary to Fargo. It was during this position he enjoyed applying both his professional and his carpentry skills in the construction of the Shanley High School and Sullivan Middle School building. In his final years, Jerry enjoyed working as Superintendent for Thompson Public Schools in Thompson, ND, where he had served for seven years. In 2012, he was pleased when Thompson Schools received the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award.

Jerry’s dedication to education showed outside of school walls. Throughout the years, he was active in numerous local and state-wide educational programs, particularly in technology. Governor Schafer and Governor Hoeven appointed him to serve on the North Dakota Educational Telecommunications Council, which he chaired for three years. His time served, coupled with his beliefs in fairness, scrutiny, diligence and forward thinking earned him numerous accolades and awards including, most recently, an award for Outstanding Leadership and Guidance to the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders. Beyond the world of education, Jerry was also dedicated to the Catholic church, specifically St. Anthony’s in Fargo, where he taught catechism, delivered communion to the homebound, and served on the financial committee.

Jerry was an avid outdoorsman. Many of his fondest memories were made at the hunting lodge he shared with friends near Sheldon, ND, and at his cabin on Lake Lizzie, MN. His lake place was not only his favorite place to recreate and recharge, it was also where he taught his grandchildren to fish, swim, tube, play and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Jerry is survived by his wife of 44 years, Mary; two sons, Joel (Nia) Bartholomay and Eric (Charla) Bartholomay; a daughter, Becky (Bob) Suko; and beloved grandchildren, Logan, Ellie, Baylor and Avary.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth (Bud) and Mary, and his brother, Kenneth Jr. (Butch).

Blessed be his memory.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the family for the creation of a memorial fund in honor of Jerry.