Hymes praised for work ethic, dedication to community
Businessman who volunteered with many local groups died June 26 at 86
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Gerald B. "Jerry" Hymes, the former owner of Saleme Insurance, was a gregarious man who never stayed idle and passionately served the Altoona community, his daughters said.
Hymes, 86, died June 26 at Garvey Manor Nursing Home, Hollidaysburg.
He was a Shriner, a Mason, a member of the Rotary Club of Altoona, AMBUCS, the Penn State Advisory Board, the Blair County Arts Foundation and served as chairman of the Altoona Parking Authority board for many years.
Hymes was a 1956 graduate of Altoona High School who attended Williamsport Tech and went on to serve in the Navy for four years during the Bay of Pigs Invasion, his daughter Jennifer D'Andrea said.
Hymes was employed at Ordinance Research Lab and taught electronics at Altoona Vo-Tech before buying Saleme Insurance from his father-in-law. In 2004, he sold the business to D'Andrea and her husband, Barry, but stayed on with the company for another four years before retiring.
Barry D'Andrea went to work for Hymes in 1993. Hymes taught him everything he knows about insurance today -- not only about sales, but also how to treat people right, D'Andrea said.
Saleme Insurance insured Wolf Furniture, which once had a sprinkler leakage in their former warehouse in Bellwood in the middle of the night, D'Andrea said, adding Hymes drove out to the warehouse in his boots at 4 a.m. and helped clean up to save the furniture.
"Doing something like that in the middle of the night and going above and beyond for somebody certainly had a major impact on me and how we treat people," Barry D'Andrea said.
Jennifer D'Andrea said Hymes' work ethic took the business that her grandfather started in 1954 and grew it exponentially by emphasizing the commercial side of insurance.
"He was just a very hard worker," Jennifer D'Andrea said, adding her father enjoyed working around his house and always kept busy with his hobbies of gardening, woodworking and playing tennis.
"He was always very knowledgeable and one of those people that you would describe as handy, just able to fix pretty much anything," she said. "He was always willing to do that for anybody if they asked."
"He was a pretty selfless guy," said daughter Liz Albert. "He would help anybody that he was able to. He was a very blue-collar guy at heart."
Hymes, who was also a member of the Altoona Bicycle Club, was a founder of the Intown Criterium, which later became the Tour de 'Toona stage bicycle race, according to his obituary.
He enjoyed riding his mountain bike on trails, his daughter Stephanie Vita said.
"We shared the love of cycling," Vita said. "We definitely talked about riding a lot."
Although he worked hard, Hymes always had time for his family and was a "big believer in giving back to" the community and treating all people with respect, she said.
"Our dad was very impactful to our lives and the lives of his grandchildren," Vita said, adding he could identify any tree while walking in the woods and was into rebuilding cars in his spare time.
He rebuilt Vita's first car for her, she said.
"He grew up with very humble beginnings and made sure to respect everyone equally. He instilled honesty, integrity and kindness in us all," Vita said.
Blair County Arts Foundation executive director Kate Shaffer said she knew Hymes for many years.
As a board member for the foundation, Hymes was tasked with supporting all of its fundraising efforts and creating a synergy among people who were actively involved in the arts. He also participated in the Blair County Arts Festival and "was really helpful in that area as well," Shaffer said.
"I just always knew Jerry to be a great guy," Shaffer said. "He was a great board member and he was a good friend."
Altoona Parking Authority chairwoman Sherri McGregor said Hymes made her feel welcomed when she joined the authority board.
"He knew so many people and had so many personal and professional connections and was able to use those connections to make people feel comfortable and move things forward in a positive way," McGregor said.
McGregor, who worked for Penn State at the time, said Hymes was instrumental with helping Penn State obtain parking in downtown Altoona and helped with the transition of changing parking for downtown businesses.
That transition "went really well" and increased the volume of foot traffic in downtown Altoona, she said, adding Hymes was a "really nice person" who will be missed.
In addition to his three daughters, Hymes is survived by his wife, Judy Ann Saleme, whom he married on July 11, 1964; eight grandchildren; a sister-in-law; and several nieces and nephews.
Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.