Gerald Robert Rossi

Gerald Robert Rossi, 95, of Collierville, Tennessee, passed away at Baptist Memorial Hospital - Collierville on March 11, 2026. The youngest of five children, he was born to Paul and Lucy Rossi on January 7, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York. A graduate of PS17 and City College of New York, where he studied business and math, Jerry excelled as a trumpet player and was a champion billiard and ping-pong player during his school years.

He served in the Air Force during the Korean War, where he met the love of his life, Polly. They married on May 31, 1955. In the early years of their marriage, Jerry and three friends formed the doo-wop group The Four Chaps in New York City. The group opened for headliners such as Eartha Kitt, was managed by Sammy Davis Sr., and recorded two singles, “Foolish Little Butterfly” and “Completely Yours,” for RAMA Records in 1956. Jerry later worked as a risk manager for Hess Oil Company before moving his family to Memphis to be near Polly’s relatives. In Memphis, he built a distinguished career as a corporate insurance broker with EH Crump.

Jerry was deeply devoted to his family and friends. He cherished his membership at Colonial Country Club, where he played golf, excelled in racquetball as a club champion, and remained a loyal Memphis Tigers basketball season ticket holder since 1974. A longtime parishioner of St. Ann Catholic Church in Bartlett, he found great purpose in retirement through travel, particularly to Fort Walton Beach and Destin, and through twelve years of volunteer service at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he was also a dedicated platelet donor.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Linda Thompson (Rex). Jerry is survived by his wife of 70 years, Polly; his son and best friend, Mike (Stephanie); four grandchildren, Brooke Wright, Michael Rossi, Robin Thompson, and Randy Thompson; and five great-grandchildren. His magnetic personality, quick wit, and steadfast love left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him. As the patriarch of his family, he was the best husband, father, and grandfather his loved ones could have wished for, and he will be cherished by them forever.