Gerald "Gerry" Hayes Efinger

Gerald "Gerry" Hayes Efinger, of Manitou Springs, Colorado, passed away on Saturday, April 20, 2024.

He is survived by his wife, Lynn Mayer; four sons, Jay, Judd, Scott, and Kipp; his German Shepherd, Shadow; and 13 grandchildren.

Gerry was born in New Jersey on November 5, 1935. He suffered a difficult childhood, but through the support of his older brothers, Frank and Earl, he landed at Avon Old Farms boarding school, where he received a formative education.

Gerry’s passion for adventure led him to enlist in the US Coast Guard where he explored the northern seas on an icebreaker ship. Later, he studied history at Brown University and met his first wife, Susan Carvalho. He left his family in the early seventies and moved to San Diego, where he worked for Scripps Oceanographic Institute and met his second wife, Mazie.

He taught himself photography and many other crafts with the belief that you could learn and do anything if you put your mind, body and spirit into it - he was a true master craftsman. Together, Gerry and Mazie designed and built a spectacular adobe home in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

Gerry met the last love of his life, Lynn, in 2000. They moved to Colorado together, where Gerry had space to let his spirit soar. He spent the final phase of his life perfecting his ski turns, taking pictures of landscapes and architecture, hunting elk, and loving Lynn and the furry friends that have come and gone like Zen teachers.