SCARBOROUGH — Gerald Ernest Genesio, 83, of Scarborough, Maine, known to family and friends as Jerry, passed away at his home on September 27, 2022.
Jerry, the son of Louis Tilio and Genevieve (Reid) Geneseo, was born November 19, 1938, in Framingham, Mass., and was raised in Milford, Mass. He graduated from
St. Mary’s Academy in Milford, Class of ’56 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps later that year serving six years. The spelling of his last name changed when he entered
military service because he was required to use the name as it appeared on his birth certificate, which was thought to be incorrect but later research and the discovery of original documents in Italy proved it to be correct. He was also a graduate of the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Class of ’93.

Following his military service, Jerry worked on several union construction projects in North Carolina, and as a biologicals representative in northern New England. Later, in 1985, he founded and was the first president and National Executive Director of Veterans for Peace (VFP), a United Nations-NGO humanitarian organization established to assist with providing relief for child war victims in Central America. He resigned in 1996 and later withdrew his membership when VFP’s primary mission changed from providing aid to child war victims. He went on to assist in the evacuation of war-wounded children from Bosnia working with the Children of War Rescue Project, which he also founded. He was the author of many magazine articles, several historical works and family histories, and a novel based on his experiences in Nicaragua in the 1980s. He was a retiree of Bayer’s Human Blood Products Division of West Haven, Conn. Later, he was employed by the Portland Public Library, where he was a Maine historian and Special Collections assistant.

Jerry was preceded in death by both parents; his brother Louis, killed in action in Vietnam; his adopted son Anthony Vincent; and his son Louis Tilio II.

He is survived by his wife and love of his life, Lorraine Ann Gregoire Sutton Genesio; a brother, Stephen J. Geneseo, and a sister-in-law, Barbara Geneseo, both of Sweden; a half-sister, Catherine Piemonte, of Dover, Mass.; two nieces, Mary Sohl of Sweden, and Jennifer Campbell of Denmark; his nephews Stephen M. Geneseo and partner Sidnei Degois of Richmond, and William J. Geneseo of Harrison; and two grand-nephews, Matthew Sohl and wife Lauren, and Evan Sanderson, all of Sweden.

There will be no public funeral service in accordance with his wishes.

Memorial contributions may be made in his name to Good Shepherd Food-Bank, P.O. Box 479, Lewiston, ME 04243.