Jervis D. Kester

December 31, 2021

Jervis D. Kester, 88, of Bloomfield, CT, passed away at Hartford Hospital on December 31, 2021. Born July 15, 1933, Jerry was raised on a wheat ranch in Lind, Washington, the oldest son of Anne and George Kester. After earning a B.S. in mechanical engineering at Washington State University, and while completing his ROTC service in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps, he started his 36-year career at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in 1956. In 1960 Jerry joined Pratt's Sound Group, charged with creating the design innovations necessary for the company's JD3D engine to comply with jet-aircraft noise restrictions newly imposed by the U.S. Government. After a short stint on Pratt's Instrumentation Group, he managed the company's Motion & Vibration Group, overseeing structural tests on fuel cells produced for the Apollo space program. Advancing to senior project engineer in the late 1960s, Jerry headed Pratt's Acoustics Group, spearheading development of the innovative JT9D, which would power Boeing's twin-aisle 747 "jumbo jet" that first took to the skies in 1970. During the early 1980s, while earning his M.B.A., he oversaw the development of Pratt's PW4000 engines. After retiring in 1992, Jerry enjoyed many round-the-world travels with his wife Maureen, a former teacher, and also volunteered his expertise as a financial planner. At age 68, he rekindled his childhood love of art and studied oil painting at the West Hartford Art League, Farmington Valley Art Center, and Art League of New Britain. During the decades Jerry and Maureen resided in The Villages, Florida, he continued painting and exhibited his work at local art shows. Leaving behind his cherished wife, Maureen (Glynn) Kester, as well as daughters Pamela and Caroline Kester, sister-in-law Margaret Glynn, and several grand- and great-grandchildren, Jerry will be sorely missed: a source of intelligence, wisdom, and enduring patience.