I consider it an honor to have met Jerry on so many occasions. He was a most giving and caring person who would (and did) offer the hat off his head to a friend. When I first got involved in local community affairs Jerry called me up and offered to help me whenever I needed a historical understanding of the issues. We had never met prior to the evening before. He will be missed.

Gerry was truly the 'mayor' of Bala Cynwyd, with his encyclopedic knowledge of the neighborhood both past and present. In the '90s, our family lived in the other half of the twin where Gerry and Denise resided on Llanfair Road. He was a generous and helpful neighbor, and a passionate defender of the quality of life of both the neighborhood and Lower Merion Township. He will be sorely missed. Condolences to the Francis family.

 I met Jerry years ago when I was a young and new member of the community. Always helpful and welcoming, he had an impressivenknoweldge of local history and a commitment to preservation. He was a tireless advocate for our community. You will be missed! My deepest condolences to Jerry's family.

Thank you to Jerry for his support in developing and maintaining the Lower Merion & Narberth Public Access Television, the community television channel that serves the 60,000 residents of Lower Merion and Narberth. Irene McNeil

Last week I was saddened to hear of Gerald’s passing here in Seattle, WA. by way of email. In fact, I was shocked.  My backstory is this.  I descend from the First English Puritan settlers in North America and the First Welsh, English, German and Scottish Quaker settlers in North America.  Knowing that I was about to pull up family stakes in northern New Jersey and move to the Pacific Northwest with my then 96 year-old father, I wanted to see first-hand the area known as Lower Merion Township in Pennsylvania where my Welsh Quaker ancestors first settled back in 1682.  This was in the Fall of 2015.   Having written a letter of inquiry about having a private tour, the person who wrote me back immediately was none other than Jerry Francis.  He spent the entire day with me showing me the Quaker Meetinghouse, the local cemetery, the Lower Merion Academy – and much more.  The ‘much more’ was his keen knowledge about colonial Pennsylvanian History with facts presented to me in a way that I had never heard before or had ever seen in any American textbook.  Simply put, he was a remarkable historian who could connect the landscape before us with the culture and thoughts of those courageous First Quaker Settlers.  Three years later, when I needed a recommendation to study Colonial American History at the University of Cambridge in England, he granted me that favor without hesitation.  I am sorry to hear of his passing and I wish to say to his wife and three daughters – your husband and father was both a local and national treasure.  I revered his outstanding scholarship and will always be grateful for that day we spent together.  God Bless.