Gerald “Jerry” Buhnerkempe, age 80, passed away on Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at Froedtert in Kenosha. Sadly, his wife, Janine “Jan” (Ciotti) Buhnerkempe, age 66, passed away on Sunday, December 19, 2021 at Froedtert in Kenosha.

Born on July 4, 1941 in Evanston, IL, he was the son of George and Ann (Osiaczyk) Buhnerkempe. He proudly served his country as a Sergeant in the Air Force.

On July 8, 1978, he was united in marriage to Janine Ciotti at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii Catholic Church.

Jerry and Jan met while caring for the elderly at Zion Nursing Home. Jerry also enjoyed his work as a chemist at Eastman Kodak.

Outdoor activities like hunting and shooting type sports were what Jerry liked to do for fun. He was involved with the NRA and taught hunter safety courses as a member of the Southport Gun Club. Jerry was also an avid Chicago Bears and St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Gerald is survived by his brother, Michael (Donna) Buhnerkempe; his sisters in-law, Judy Werneski, Teresa (Robert) Matthews, Rosalie Buhnerkempe; his brothers-in-law, George (Michelle) Ciotti, Jeff (Robin) Ciotti; his nephew, Michael (Tina) Buhnerkempe, Jr.; his niece, Amanda Buhnerkempe and various great and great-great nieces and nephews.

In addition to his wife, Gerald was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Thomas Buhnerkempe.

Service Info

Memorial services honoring Gerald’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, 2022 in All Saints Cemetery, 3300 Springbrook Rd, Pleasant Prairie, WI.

The service will be streamed live on the Piasecki Funeral Home Facebook page.  The livestream can be viewed by anyone (even those who do not have a Facebook account) at facebook.com/PiaseckiFuneralHome/live/.

Inurnment with full military honors will follow the service.

Memorial remembrances made in Gerald’s name to Safe Harbor Humane Society 7811 60^th Avenue, Kenosha, WI 53142 would be appreciated.