Garde, Jeré
GARDE, Jeré Vincent
Jeré Vincent Garde of Atlanta, Georgia passed away on April 14, 2021 as the result of a stroke. Jeré was born in New York City on April 26, 1941 to James and Ruth Loar Garde, both deceased. He was raised and educated in the Catholic Schools of New Jersey and served in the United States Air Force for four years. His service included stints in Texas, Georgia, California, and Southeast Asia. After his service, Jeré began a career with Mercedes-Benz Corporate, starting in New York but quickly moving to San Francisco and Los Angeles. He continued to find success at the company, moving to Chicago as the Assistant Regional Manager for the Midwest, then to Jacksonville as Regional Manager of the Southern states before his final assignment as General Manager for the Northeast states. After completing 25 years with MB, Jeré was granted a franchise for his own dealership in Atlanta, Georgia. Carriage House Imports, later Mercedes-Benz of South Atlanta, opened in 1987. Jeré will always be remembered as a wonderful boss; the people who worked for and with him have memories of a firm but fair leader who cared deeply for his employees. He was at heart a great raconteur; no one could tell a story quite like Jeré and no one had more great stories to tell. To be in his presence was a gift. Jeré was a generous and delightful friend to all who knew him. Jeré was highly active in the Atlanta community serving on the executive boards of both the South Fulton Chamber of Commerce and the March of Dimes. In addition, he was an active and generous donor to many Atlanta area charities. He loved to travel, having been to all 50 states, most territories and over 50 countries around the globe. Jeré is survived by his three sons and daughters-in-law; Greg and Mary Ellen Garde, Glenn and Traci Garde, and John Garde; as well as his daughter Brittany Lovin and her husband Jason Carter all of Atlanta. He is also survived by seven wonderful grandchildren: Joseph Garde, Grace Garde, Shelby Garde, Andrew Garde, Sydney Garde, Dylan Carter, and Caroline Carter, all of Atlanta. He is also survived by sister Gayle Klimach, sister-in-law Evelyn Garde, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by sisters Wanda Medley, Shirley Carhart, and brother Michael Garde. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jeré's memory to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia at https://give.shepherd.org/ Due to the ongoing pandemic, services will not be held at this time.
