Gerald J. Drake, 83, died March 4, 2015, at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. He was born Oct. 8, 1931, in Ellinwood, the son of Clyde Orville and Josephine Abby (Thorpe) Drake.

Gerald was a graduate of Hutchinson High School and Hutchinson Community College. He was a veteran of the Korean Conflict, serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Gerald married Joan Margaret Cox on Feb. 14, 1953, in Hutchinson.

A longtime mail carrier, he retired from the Hutchinson U.S. Post Office in 1990. He then worked for USD #308 Public Schools in maintenance, retiring there in 2014. He was a member of the First Church of God and the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Gerald is survived by wife, Joan of the home; sons, Steven J. (Karen) and Richard E. (Toni), all of Hutchinson, Robert C. (Lisa) of Sherman, Texas; 10 grandchildren, Stephen Drake of Fort Worth, Texas, Heather Bocell of Dallas, Texas, Adam Drake, Tom Darling, Zachary Kirk, Rosemary Rixon, Elizabeth Swan and Carolyn Drake, all of Hutchinson, Shannon Thorneberry and Ryan Drake, both of Olathe; and 12 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, James and Clyde Drake; twin sister, Geraldine Durbin; sisters, Helen Minor, Virginia Palermo, Mary Perry, and Leona Janzen.

Funeral service will be 1 p.m. Monday, March 9, 2015, at Elliott
Chapel, Hutchinson, with Pastor Steve Hodgson officiating. Burial will be in the Penwell-Gabel Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hutchinson. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with family present to receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the mortuary.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.