Jerry Merkelo MBA ’76 was born on March 12 in Kharkov, Ukraine, and was the son of the late Alexander and Natalia Merkelo. Jerry left Ukraine as a young boy during WWII. His parents fought their way to America to give a better life to their children. Jerry had a fighting spirit and prospered in America. He joined the Army as a paratrooper and put himself through college, receiving a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from SCU. He worked hard at Hewlett Packard for 35 years and built his own American dream. He loved the U.S. but never lost ties with Ukraine and had a second home in Lviv, Ukraine. A parishioner of St. Michaels Ukrainian Greek Orthodox church in San Francisco, at age 84 he passed away surrounded by his loving family on July 2, 2019. He was a devoted husband to Hanna Cheberenchyk for 21 years. Jerry is survived by his wife, Hann, and his children Krystina Merkelo of Citrus Heights, Laura Merkelo of Pennsylvania, and Lisa Granucci or Roseville, California. He also leaves his two grandchildren, Sophia and Tyler Granucci, his son-in-law Shawn Granucci, and his brother, Henri Merkelo.