Gerald Francis Corrigan
Gerald Francis Corrigan, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and longtime resident of Pacific Palisades and Montecito, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family, at the age of 87 on May 26, 2024, in Santa Barbara, California.
Born on April 16, 1937, in Dublin, Ireland, Gerry immigrated to the United States in 1959. He earned his B.A. and M.B.A. from UCLA, where he became the first foreign-born student body president for the 1962-1963 school year. Gerry later served as Assistant Dean of the UCLA School of Business and remained a lifelong Bruin.
It was also at UCLA that Gerry met Virginia Tang, a beautiful UCLA undergraduate who had emigrated from Hong Kong. They were married for 58 years, and enjoyed raising their two children in Pacific Palisades, and later retiring to Santa Barbara. Gerry and Virginia valued hard work, time spent with family and friends, and loved to surround themselves with a flourishing garden.
Gerry had a distinguished career as an executive recruiter at Korn Ferry and later operated his own business in Santa Monica. He served as the Irish Olympic Team Attache for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games, dedicated many years to the Board of the University College Dublin Business School, and was bestowed the Irishman of The Year Award in Los Angeles.
In retirement, Gerry continued to share his passion for knowledge with the Santa Barbara community through Vistas Lifelong Learning, where he spent hours researching, writing presentations, and attending lectures. One of his favorites focused on William Mulholland and the LA Aqueduct, which he presented in 2022. He also taught economics at Santa Barbara City College and demonstrated his heartfelt sense of civic duty as an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
In his later years, after spending afternoons watching his grandchildren bike around the neighborhood, Gerry found solace sitting outside at dusk and contemplating the world and its mysteries. Gerry’s evening would end with him quietly sitting in his well worn Eames chair with a book in hand. His insatiable thirst for knowledge and relentless pursuit of understanding serves as a profound legacy that will inspire and guide his family.
Gerry is survived by his wife Virginia; children Peter Corrigan and Elizabeth Branham; their spouses Karen Bergan and Eryc Branham; grandchildren Sophie, Aedan, Jocelyn, Connor; and extended family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one’s choosing. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dh ílis.