Jerry Ford, the interim transportation director for the South Orange-Maplewood School District, died on Friday, Sept. 6, from injuries sustained from a fall in late August.
“I’m deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Jerry Ford,” said SOMSD Buildings and Grounds Director Tom Giglio in a statement. “He was not only a remarkable colleague but also a genuinely kind and hardworking individual. His dedication and positive attitude made a significant impact on everyone here in the maintenance and transportation building. It was truly a pleasure working with him.”
Giglio added, “Jerry will be greatly missed by all of us. His memory will live on in the ways he touched our lives and inspired us. Always taking time to offer his life experience and guidance. My thoughts are with his family and I will mourn his absence.”
“Jerry stayed in lieu of retirement because he always put our students first,” said Stanley Valles, SOMSD Director of Safety and Security.
Supt. Jason Bing had notified the community about Ford’s accident at the August 29 BOE meeting, saying, “We did want to wish Jerry Ford, our director of transportation, a quick recovery. He’s going through a scare right now. We just wanted to get positive thoughts out to him, and just put that out into the universe and thank him.”
Following news of Ford’s death, Bing said, “Jerry always went above and beyond — he took over during a tumultuous time and really settled things down.”
Ford came on board with the district last year in the midst of a major expansion of busing. In a communication with parents last October explaining the difficulties the district had in finding a vendor, drivers and transportation administrators, former Supt. of Schools Dr. Ronald Taylor wrote, “At a recent meeting with our Co-Op representatives, they lauded how fortunate we are to have our Interim Transportation Coordinator, Mr. Jerry Ford, as he is well-known in the New Jersey transportation community for his stellar work throughout his long and distinguished career.”
