- Date Of Birth: April 26, 1931
- Date Of Death: June 23, 2014
- State: Indiana
Jerry was born on April 26, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, to the late Clara (Molke) and George Gotsch. He married Joanne Matousek on August 21, 1954, at St. Matthias Church in Chicago, Illinois. Surviving to cherish his memory in addition to his wife of nearly 60 years are his two sons, Hon. Michael G. Gotsch, Sr. (Sarah) and Thomas J. Gotsch (Marilyn), nine grandchildren, and one great-grandson. A 1955 graduate of Loyola University (Chicago) in Accounting, he also earned a Master’s Degree in Industrial Relations from Loyola in 1963. He served in the United States Army in an Air Defense Artillery battery from 1955-57. Upon leaving military service, he began a career in federal law enforcement. Jerry was an investigator on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management (“Rackets Committee”) serving under Chief Counsel Robert F. Kennedy. He later joined the U.S. Department of Labor as a criminal investigator and served as Chicago Area Director. He worked on the Organized Crime Strike Force in Chicago, and subsequently coordinated nationwide investigations targeting fraud and organized crime. He was personally recognized by Secretary of Labor with a Special Award for outstanding leadership in supervising the 1972 election of the United Mineworkers of America. He was promoted to Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Department of Labor, and later served in the same capacity with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For many years, he was an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
A loyal member of the Knights of Columbus, he also volunteered as a Little League coach and a Scoutmaster. He was very proud that both of his sons earned the rank of Eagle Scout, although he frequently mentioned that he had only made it to Second Class. He was the President of the Men of St. John’s at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. from 1978-79. Since moving to South Bend in 2002, Jerry has been very involved with the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), the Serra Club, and the senior club at St. ThAC.
