Gerald Maurice Kimball

Gerald “Jerry” M. Kimball, 87, completed his last life portage June 17, 2026. He passed peacefully, surrounded by family in his room at Benedictine assisted living, overlooking the lupin flowers, birch and poplar in the wetland area that he had worked to preserve for others during his career as Director of Planning for the City of Duluth. Always the planner, he wanted to reassure his dear family, friends and former colleagues, “I’ve had a good life. Thank you, all.”

Jerry grew up in St. Paul, MN, heavily influenced by the diverse neighborhoods in which he first lived. The son of working-class parents, Jerry’s mother was a telephone operator, and his father, the first machinery operator of a power street sweeper in St Paul, instilled in Jerry the importance and dignity of public service. He had three doting older siblings. A skilled athlete, Jerry received athletic scholarships for basketball and baseball, opening the opportunity to attend St. Luke’s School in St. Paul (now St. Thomas More) and St. Thomas Academy. Later, he was in the intelligence unit of the US Army Reserves.

Jerry lived and loved deeply and was not shy about expressing feelings of appreciation and gratitude to others along his journey. He long noted that the gem of his life was his special relationship with June, his wife of 63 years whom he met through her South St. Paul carpool group while both were attending the University of MN where Jerry was studying architecture. They raised three kids and held each other together through the loss of two babies. They nurtured a lake cabin where they routinely welcomed family and friends, and hosted international guests who became family - always making space for another visitor. Similarly, Jerry found cherished community in the group of friends with whom he strode the length of the Lakewalk five days a week for many years. Their joy and discipline of braving whatever the elements threw at them captured the attention of TV’s Today Show in a segment on Duluth.

His love for nature and his sense of wonder were the first interests luring him to Duluth in 1968 with his wife and young boys in a VW bug after accepting a role initially as assistant physical planning director for the City of Duluth. Jerry & June paddled and portaged their canoe together throughout the BWCA. Jerry would also return many winters to the BWCA with his brother-in-law and occasionally another venturesome family member. He would take time to admire a little persistent flower managing to grow in a crack in the sidewalk. An avid photographer with a great eye behind the lens, Jerry maintained a highly detailed color-coding catalog system for his slides, long before AI made these systems easier.

Jerry led life with a sense of adventure, fun, humor and silliness. He preferred to explore ‘blue’ highways, the roads less taken, instead of taking the faster route. He found reason to celebrate in most any event – crafting milk jug or soda can trophies for ski races around the cabin lake or after his grandchildren took their first drive by age ten on the private cabin circle road. He would pile mounds of inner tubes on the top of the station wagon like icing on a wedding cake, to haul all the kids for river tubing. He built a bicycle rack for the car for the many town-to-town bicycle camping trips he co-organized with close family friends. When this same group started a gourmet international dinner tradition, he dove in, employing food themes of Italy, China and other parts of the world which he and June had visited or from which they had hosted foreign exchange students.

Jerry was a builder, a problem-solver – always passionate about the details. He created elaborate Halloween costumes with his kids, and built a beloved Boston Tea Party-styled play ship that won a July 4th parade contest. He designed numerous backyards, toboggan runs and built a variety of beds to comfort – a bed that hung from the ceiling, elaborate sleeping spaces and bunkbeds for his kids. Like his father, he believed you could do anything if you had the right tool – even if that meant making your own tool, as he often did.

Despite being a self-avowed shy person, Jerry reached out routinely to connect with others. The biggest promoter of Duluth, he couldn’t walk the Lakewalk without stopping to talk with acquaintances or to ask strangers about their experience in Duluth. He was quick to lend a hand when he saw a need and didn’t wait to be asked. He and June travelled with friends to Louisiana to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity. He coached youth basketball, taught classes on city planning and history with University for Seniors at UMD. He volunteered at Grandma’s Marathons and helped with AFS fundraisers to support international student exchange experiences. He led by example and demonstrated unconditional love and forgiveness, encouraging his kids not to judge others, “You never know what someone is going through.” Jerry wasn’t afraid to speak up and submitted numerous Letters-to-the-Editor and wrote passionate eulogies for friends.

Jerry lived as passionately in his working career as he did with his family. He believed deeply in creating spaces that uplift the spirit. As a City Planner, he believed that one of the most important things a city leader can do is to expand a community’s civic pride and confidence.

Jerry’s planning vision centered on Lake Superior, the nautical and industrial history of Duluth and the city’s topography and architecture as the key City assets not to be compromised. He promoted conservation of green spaces and long views of the lake. He championed, coordinated and edited the book volumes “Duluth’s Legacy – Architecture” as a way to celebrate the city’s unique architectural history. Called by the mayor in the early 1980’s to create a plan that would help stem job loss, Jerry believed Duluth was an ideal candidate for tourism. At the time of developing his waterfront and Canal Park revitalization plan, a view of the area displayed a majorly polluted and under-utilized former industrial zone. There was no Lakewalk and little access in the city to reach the water. Jerry had been leading his family through thick woods for picnics on the rugged basalt rock lining Lake Superior on the edges of the Lake. He maintained, though, that these existing wonders and the experiences that could be should be accessible to all.

Under his Planning Division leadership, he focused on historic renovation and art in public spaces, accessible to all, believing there is value in design and detail that preserves a city’s character. He valued local businesses over retail chains. While he aimed for a balanced approach to environmental access and development, he noted that, “I have a passion for Duluth and its potential, and this sometimes gets me in trouble with developers [who may have had differing priorities.]”

As a city planner, Jerry deeply involved community voice in city plans, nudging the community to be involved in envisioning their future city. He held regular public forums, sometimes attended by hundreds, encouraging regular citizens to become “amateur planners” – educating them about the issues, providing new perspectives and getting their ideas that take into account future generations. Jerry regularly mentioned gratitude for the citizens of Duluth, City staff and many other stakeholders that were key to making a shared vision a joint reality.

Jerry retired in 1995 after 26 years as City Planning Director for the City of Duluth. Still thoroughly invested in a thriving Duluth, he continued to provide planning and urban design consultancy in Duluth and for other waterfront cities. Prior to working in Duluth, he was employed by the City of St Paul, the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council and Midwest Planning Company.

Jerry is survived by his wife, June; brother, George; sons, John (Susan), Brian (YaPing Wang); daughter, Kristin (Ashish); grandchildren, Brittany (Will), Andrew, Zachary, David, Soren, Emily, Milan and Mason and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Beverly and Maureen; infant son, Andrew and angel baby.

Jerry’s family expresses deep gratitude to the dedicated Marywood staff at Benedictine Living Community for their kind and steadfast care.

Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 11am August 3 at St. Michaels Catholic Church in Duluth, with visitation at 10am. In lieu of flowers, donations made in his memory can be sent to Chum (Duluth), The Michael J. Fox Foundation or a charitable organization of your choice.