George John “GJ” Gerner III

George John Gerner III, 30, of New York City and formerly Vestal, NY, died on Tuesday, September 17th, 2019 at Mount Sinai in NYC with his family by his side after a courageous and inspiring 24+ month battle against Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). He is survived by his parents, George and Betsy Gerner, his brother, Colin, his sister, Kelly, and cousins. GJ’s life will never be defined by brain cancer, but instead by what he was able to accomplish as he inspired people around the globe in his 2 years with GBM; he will forever leave a mark on this Earth. He truly won the battle and our family would like to thank his Neuro team of Dr. Hormigo, Dr. Hadjipanayis and Dr. Yeh, who truly became our family and guardian angels over the last 2 years.

George was known as many things to many people, including GJ, Geej, G-Man, GG, Georgie, first born son, big brother, cousin, friend, CPA, manager, coach, our everything. His infamous “GJ Smile” lit up the world of so many and his witty one liners could put a room of people on the floor laughing. GJ was a true friend and a gentle soul. Everyone who met him was better off for having done so, whether it be a one-time chat, or years of friendship and laughs.

He was an avid sports enthusiast and a lifelong fan of the Mets, Jets, UNC Tar Heels and Rangers. He loved the Mets Refugees Board and always seemed to win his fantasy sports leagues. Running was his true passion; he ran competitively through high school at Vestal and became a member of the sub 4 hour marathon club in 2015. He was a proud Great Dane and Delta Sig at the University at Albany. He became a high flying manager at EY, where he worked for the past 7 years in NYC. He listened to Dave Matthews Band constantly and even met his idol in 2018.
Friends and family are invited to say goodbye to GJ on Friday, September 20th from 4:00pm – 7:00pm at the Allen Memorial Home (511 E Main St. Endicott, NY, 13760) and the funeral mass will occur on Saturday, September 21st at 10:00am at Saints John and Andrew (1263 Vestal Ave, Binghamton, NY 13903).

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to StacheStrong to support brain cancer research and the Live Like GJ initiative.