Gerald Joseph Klein

Gerald Joseph Klein- Age 80, of Swartz Creek, passed away September 1, 2026, at his residence of 49 years after a twenty-year battle with head and neck cancer. A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11AM on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, 4413 Morrish Rd, Swartz Creek. Memorial visitation will be held Tuesday, September 8, from 4PM - 8PM, at Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel, 8138 Miller Road, Swartz Creek, with a rosary being prayed at 7PM and a Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Chalice Ceremony service to follow. Visitation will take place again 10AM until the time of Mass at the church on Wednesday.

Gerald was born on March 9, 1946, in Flint, Michigan to the late Maurice and Mary Eileen (Sutter) Klein and was the fourth of their six children. They grew up north of the river on Damon Street near Dewey Park. His first paying job was as the neighborhood paperboy, which he inherited from his older brother, R.J. Gerald loved being the class clown in grade school. He played varsity football and graduated from Sacred Heart High School (Cougars!) in 1964 and soon began working the second and final job of his life when he hired into General Motors at Fisher Body Plant #1 on Saginaw Street. During this time, he also met the love of his life Patricia Kaczmarek, whom he would marry in 1969. He eventually became a skilled tradesman and a Millwright for GM. After the closure of Fisher Body in 1987 he accepted a transfer to the Flint Metal Fab plant on Bristol Road. He later attended night classes and earned a bachelor’s degree from Baker College. He retired from GM in 2004 after 40 years of service and was a dedicated member of UAW Local 659. Gerald identified as a working man who preached solidarity and stood up for labor unions.

He joined the Knights of Columbus in 1968 which furthered in him a life of charity and giving. He volunteered for countless charitable events and sang the National Anthem at dozens of baseball games over fifty years with the Singing Knights. He was a parishioner at St. Mary Queen of Angels in Swartz Creek where he sang in the church choir. He gave many special performances singing at family wedding ceremonies and funerals with his sister Janet. He was also a legend on the dance floor at family weddings, where he became known for hilarious antics and unlimited energy. He loved to cook and excelled at baking breads and pastries. Some of Gerald's most cherished memories were made vacationing with family, especially in Leelanau County both in the summertime and during deer hunting season in the fall.

A natural athlete, Gerald excelled at many sports. He especially loved golfing, bowling, and running. For decades he would golf in three leagues per week in the summer and bowl in three leagues per week in the winter. In golf he made three aces overall, with one of them being on a par 4 when he drove it in from the tee box. He bowled at a 210 average for years. He had several perfect 300 games, several 800 series, and many more 700 series in sanctioned league play. After he quit drinking in 1979, he took up running and pivoted to a healthier lifestyle. He participated in 40 Bobby Crim 10 Mile road races and in his prime reached a personal best of 69 minutes. In 2023 he ran his last Crim and is among an elite group of athletes to run the Crim 40 or more times. His legacy is memorialized in Crim Plaza with a brick in his name.

Gerald is survived by his wife of 57 years, Patricia (Kaczmarek) Klein; children David (Stacey) Klein, Jodie Klein, and Julie Klein; grandchildren Christian, Stephen, Marek, Anna, Aidan and Sutton; sisters Janet Graham, Carolyn (David) Cameron, and brother Donald Klein, sister-in-law, Carolyn Kaczmarek; brother-in-law David Smith; many nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Robert Klein, sister Diane Smith, brother-in-law Richard Swanson, sister-in-law Sally Klein, sister-in-law Theresa Klein, brother-in-law Doug Graham, brother-in-law, Donald Kaczmarek, niece Mary Brecht, and nephew Matthew Klein.

The family would like to publicly thank Gerald’s many cancer specialists over the years who worked so hard to extend and improve his life, especially Dr. Sukamal Saha, formerly of McLaren-Flint, Dr. Andrew Shuman of Michigan Medicine, and Dr. Paul Swiecicki of Michigan Medicine. You will always be our heroes.

Tributes may be shared at sharpfuneralhomes.com