Gerald Wilson Cauley, 70, a resident of Front Royal, Virginia passed away peacefully on September 13, 2023, following a nine-month battle with cancer. He was born on January 3rd, 1953 in Baltimore, Maryland, to the late Robert Nelson Cauley and Marjorie Pelter Cauley.
The son of a career military man, Gerry spent much of his childhood living in foreign countries such as Germany and Turkey, in addition to US military bases. Upon his father’s retirement, the family made their home in Leominster, Massachusetts.
Gerry was a proud graduate of Leominster High School in 1971 and then went on to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1975. He continued his education at Loyola University in Maryland earning an MBA in 1986. Gerry had a decorated 47-year career as an Engineer and Executive in the Electric Power Industry. His work and passion focused on solving reliability, cyber, and physical security challenges for the power grid and our nation’s energy supply. Over the span of his career, Gerry lived in Columbia, MD, San Jose, CA, Tampa, FL and Atlanta, GA. He retired happily in May 2022 and would joke that he looked forward to a “20-year glide path” to live out his golden years.
Gerry was predeceased by his father Robert Cauley and his sister Diane Cauley Crowley. He is survived by his mother Marjorie Cauley, wife Kara Cauley, son Bryan Cauley and wife Crista, granddaughters Laila and Antonia, and five siblings including four brothers Donald Cauley, Robert Cauley, Jr., William Cauley, and Thomas Cauley, and one sister Patricia Dee, and their spouses. He also leaves behind numerous beloved nieces and nephews.
In 1975, Gerry married Connie (Spencer) Cauley and moved to Bowie, MD, where they celebrated the birth of their beloved son Bryan. Gerry loved spending time with Bryan, daughter in-law Crista, and granddaughters Laila and Antonia. Gerry loved playing golf and watching football and college basketball with his son. He treasured his visits up to Connecticut to spend time with Bryan and his family. He would always make pancakes with the girls and they even recently taught him to “gritty.” He was known for giving the best hugs.
In the summer of 2022, Gerry married Kara and the two of them enjoyed their time together living in the country in Washington, Virginia. They quickly found they shared many interests and planned a future together. Despite his cancer diagnosis a few months later, their relationship remained steadfast. Kara’s care and devotion during the remaining months of his life were appreciated by Gerry’s family and friends.
Family and friends will gather for a celebration of life at a later date to honor Gerry.
Sincerest condolences to the Cauley family upon hearing of the passing of dear Gerry. We have known Bryan, Crista & daughters for many years and are saddened to hear of his cancer struggle.
May Gerry rest in peace. 🙏🏻
So sorry for your loss. God Bless
So sorry for your loss
Gerry was instrumental in protecting the Electric Grid of the USA through is leadership at SERC and NERC.
May he Rest in Peace
May Gerry rest in peace. My condolences to Gerry’s family. Gerry was a visionary in his leadership of the then-nascent NERC Reliability Corporation.
I met Gerry so many years ago, when we were both young engineers working to provide effective training to power system engineers and operators. Gerry was destined for much broader contributions to our industry, and, when he became CEO of SERC Reliability Corp in 2007, he offered me an excellent opportunity to join the effort as Training Manager. It was a pivotal time, when industry performance standards were just becoming mandatory, and Gerry’s inspiration made us all feel we were instrumental in improving our quality of life by “keeping the lights on”. Turns out, it was my dream job, and I will always be grateful to Gerry Cauley for that! RIP Gerry!
Gerry was an accomplished leader. He was instrumental navigating the electric industry to mandatory standards and, a positive force towards grid reliability.
My heart breaks of this news. I worked side by side with Gerry for 7 years and though he was my boss during those 7 years he also was a friend, a mentor, and a supporter during some very difficult times in my life dealing with my mom’s ailing health. He was one of the most intelligent people Ive ever known and a complex person, but for me he was someone who challenged me to be better, to strive for more, and for that I am eternally grateful. Rest easy now, till we see each other again. 💜
Sorry to hear of this loss.
Gerry brought my family to Charlotte and was a fantastic leader at SERC.
He will be missed
So right, Barbara, same here. Gerry not only supplied my dream job, he also got me out of the frigid northeast!! We relocated to Charlotte, where Don & I found our place. Again so grateful to Gerry and so sorry for his grieving loved ones!
I am truly saddened to hear about the loss of NERC’s former CEO. His kindness and support during a challenging time in my life will always be remembered. He offered to keep my position when I needed to prioritize my mother’s illness spoke volumes about his character and compassion. He made a lasting impact not only in the electric industry but also on the lives of those he touched. My deepest condolences go out to Gerry’s family and loved ones during this difficult time. He will be dearly missed, and his legacy of kindness will continue to inspire us all.
I worked closely with Gerry in his time as NERC CEO, particularly in the four years that I chaired the Board of Trustees. He was a dedicated and professional leader who successfully transformed NERC to a respected, risk-driven and principled regulator. He was was passionate in his desire to increase the reliability and security of the electric grid in North America — and he was successful in making substantial progress in that direction. The principles that he brought to the challenge endure and continue to inform the important work that NERC does. He will be long remembered and respected.