Fall-Winter 2007
Postscript for Jerry Kumery
It
is with great sadness that we say goodbye to a talented birder and photographer.
Jerry Kumery, 73, passed away from a heart attack on Sept. 16. Jerry,
of Brookfield, Il., was generous with his photos, donating them to various
organizations and giving them to friends. He was instrumental in helping
to launch A Prairie Journal last year.
Over the years, Jerry took thousands of pictures around the world. (The photo here is of Jerry shooting at Midway Island in 2001.) He was known for his careful attention to nuance and shading and never thought of his pictures as merely snapshots. “He had to have feather detail, the light in the eye and just the right amount of sun,” his wife Jackie said.
Jerry’s passion for photography and birding was born more than 30 years ago when he and his family went on their first birding expedition in North Carolina in 1975. When they got home, they continued to bird, and Jackie bought Jerry a camera for his birthday.
“He kept getting better cameras and taking pictures every time we went birding,” Jackie said. Jerry’s retirement about 10 years ago from a managerial position at People’s Gas allowed him to spend more time behind the lens.
Jerry was a popular figure at local birding sites and birding clubs, showing his pictures at slide shows and presentations. Friends note that he loved tracking unusual birds and documenting their presence with his camera. Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve in Westchester was one of Jerry’s favorite photography sites and many of his photos have been exhibited by the Save the Prairie Society. www.savetheprairiesociety.org Jerry’s work also appears in the Chicago Region Birding Trail Guide produced by the City of Chicago Department of the Environment and the Bird Conservation Network.
Jerry and Jackie were married for 49 years. In addition to his wife, Jerry is survived by two daughters, Jeanne and Jacqueline, and four grandchildren. More of Jerry’s photos can be seen in the Images section of this issue of A Prairie Journal.
Copyright © 2007 A Prairie Journal. All rights reserved.