Werner H. Gerber, a beloved neighbor on Miami Way in Pacific Palisades for 61 years, passed away on May 27 at the age of 91. He had lived at Sunrise Senior Living on Sunset since the summer of 2005. Born on November 24, 1915 and raised on Seventh Street in Santa Monica, Werner built his house in Pacific Palisades in 1941 and leased it out while he served in the Navy during World War II. He first worked in intelligence in downtown Los Angeles before being transferred to Pearl Harbor to track ship movements for the latter part of the war, attaining the rank of First Class Petty Officer. In 1946, Werner finally moved into his house on Miami Way and made it his home, with bountiful flower gardens and many trees. There, he and his wife Valerie raised their son John. Warner was always of good cheer and enjoyed traditional Irish music. He was an excellent storyteller and delighted in sharing the history of the Palisades. He told stories with sentiment and had a way of making his own experience everyone’s experience. Many can also remember him as a musical man. He played the accordion and flute beautifully, and he was a member of the Santa Monica Oceanaires, a barbershop quartet. A popular member of the community, Werner worked at the Bel-Air Bay Club in the late 1930s before becoming a painting contractor in the Palisades in the 1940s and ’50s. He worked in the insurance business in the 1960s until his retirement. Valerie died in 1973, leaving Werner to tend to his gorgeous roses and world-class dahlias. ‘Mr. Gerber lived for his flowers,’ said his neighbor, Kaye Kittrell, an actress and photographer who took the accompanying photo of Werner in his front yard. ‘He was known for his dahlias, which were seasonal, but he always had massive rose bushes blooming. ‘My neighbor, Lisa Boyle, who was also quite close to Mr. Gerber (she, like most folks called him Werner, but I always called him Mr. Gerber), said she loved the photo of Werner next to his flowers because there was a rose right over his heart. I photographed him many times and would say, ‘Mr. Gerber, go in and comb your hair, I’m going to take your picture,’ and he would good-naturedly comply. Kittrell said Werner could be seen sweeping her driveway every day for 10 years with a worn-down broom. ‘When I’d offer to buy him a new one, he’d say, ‘No, no, I prefer this one because I can lean on it.’ He would sweep my driveway and I would feed him oatmeal. Once a workman came to my house, and asked me why that old man was sweeping my driveway. ‘Because he loves me,’ I replied. I fear those days of neighborliness are coming to an end. ‘Werner meant a lot to me,’ Kittrell continued. ‘Widowed for decades, he became a local institution. All the dog walkers would stop and chat with him in his front yard, and he knew his local history better than anyone. He had two black cats that would sleep on top of my car. I’m known for juicing, and to keep his strength up I would take him fresh green vegetable juice. I’d knock on the door and call out, ‘Mr. Gerber, I’ve got your rocket fuel!’, which he would cheerfully drink. He didn’t have a TV, and would sit in the kitchen, alone, every night and listen to baseball games on the radio. One can imagine him still sitting there.’ Werner’s survivors include his son John (wife Virginia) of Pacific Palisades and grandchildren Eric Gerber and Heather Gerber (husband Jack Wallner). Before his passing, Werner was blessed to meet his great-grandson, Cole Wallner. A celebration of Werner Gerber’s life will be held at Sunrise Senior Living, 15441 Sunset Blvd., this Sunday, June 10, at 2 p.m., for those who wish to attend.
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