� Gerald Wayne Short ("Jerry"), age 63, of Charlotte, NC, departed this life on August 20, 2016. �Jerry was born in Charlotte to Robert William Short and Ella Mae Flowe Short. �He grew up in Indian Trail, NC, and attended Sun Valley High School. Jerry is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Suzzanne Williams-Smith; his stepdaughter, Allison Beaty and her family (formerly of Charlotte and now residing in Morocco); stepson, Brock Williams-Smith; nieces, Jill Perry and Dawn Perry; family friend, Timmy Bolin; sister-in-law, Karen Short; in-laws, Charles and Patricia Williams of Mount Holly; honorary friends, Dr. John Tetrick and wife Nancy of Indiana; along with extended family and friends throughout North Carolina and the world. �He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Ella Mae Short; brother, Robert Short ("Bobby"); and sister, Carolyn Perry. Jerry enlisted in the Army in 1971, where he earned the rank of SGT E5 serving in Korea in the 1st of the 38th field artillery, and in Panama, B battery, 22d field artillery, 193rd infantry brigade. �Jerry was honored to serve and had life-long memories and friendships as a result. �Jerry was compassionate and respectful toward our men and women in uniform. �He was known to give up his first class seat on a plane, buy a meal, or just chat and joke with uniformed service personnel in the airport. Many of his close colleagues routinely saw Jerry walk up to a total stranger in need and give him a helping hand. Jerry recently retired from DuPont after a 40-year career. �He started at the Cooper River plant site (Charleston, SC) as shift supervisor. �He was promoted and moved to Wilmington, DE, where he served in a variety of sales and marketing positions in Nomex� paper where he was instrumental in shaping the success of that business. �Jerry finished his career with DuPont at the Spruance plant site (Richmond, VA) where he served as national sales manager and was appreciated for his ability to mentor and grow future sales professionals. �He was truly passionate and dedicated to DuPont and made solid connections with his customers and colleagues which easily developed into life long, meaningful relationships. �Jerry was truly a world traveler, earning "three million miles" lifetime flight status. Between his Army and work trips, and the traveling he so loved with Suzzanne, he had visited all points of the globe, including 37 countries. Throughout his life, Jerry was an avid golfer and master of the "one-liners." �He was infamous for his fishing, cruising, horseracing, and NASCAR outings with customers, family, and friends. Jerry loved the water; his happiest moments were always decked out in his Maui Jim sunglasses with a jet ski nearby. He truly enjoyed boating and fishing with his family and friends on Mountain Island Lake or spending time on any beach, anywhere. Anyone who had the blessing to get to know Jerry treasured the love, deep loyalty, generosity, and humor that was embedded in his character. In honor of our military personnel, and in lieu of flowers please donate to the North Carolina USO���� (uso-nc.org) or donate to Indian Trail Presbyterian Church for their missions to children and the homeless. (200 S. Indian Trail Road, Indian Trail, NC 28079) (itpcusa.org) We will honor Jerry with a celebration of life at 3:00 PM on Saturday, September 10th at the historic Indian Trail Presbyterian Church. Holland Funeral Service & Crematory is honored to care for the Short family. Online Condolences may be made at www.hollandfuneralservice.com