Jerry Coles

DERBY, KS MOURNS LOSS OF WORLD’S SMARTEST MAN

When death came to the home of the world’s smartest man, Jerry L. Coles, on September 6, 2026, it claimed one of the most highly revered residents of the Derby, Kansas, community.

Jerry was born May 15, 1942, to Ruby and Toby Coles, making him a son of a butcher, which naturally led him to become a lifelong vegetarian. He graduated from Coldwater High School in 1960, by which time he had established himself as a competitive athlete. He once ran a 3:24 marathon, qualifying for the Boston Marathon. His athletic accomplishments were not confined to conventional sport. Jerry was also crowned the 1962 Twist Champion of Pratt, Kansas, for which he received a Styrofoam cooler and a six-pack of Pepsi, presumably the customary prize package for elite dancers of the period.

Jerry married the love of his life, Norma A. Kongs, on April 19, 1969, beginning a marriage of more than 57 years. By general family consensus, marrying Norma was the smartest decision the world’s smartest man ever made. They were inseparable, and one of Jerry’s favorite things throughout their marriage was simply holding her hand. He relied on Norma for just about everything, loved her more than anything, and never stopped wanting her beside him. Jennifer arrived nine months after their wedding in January 1970, followed with remarkable efficiency by Catherine in December of that same year, and John completed the family in 1973. Jerry and Norma moved to Derby in 1970, where they raised their family, put down lasting roots, and became fixtures of the community.

Jerry graduated from Fort Hays State University with a degree in business administration and later obtained an Ivy League MBA from Columbia University. He went on to spend 33 years at Boeing without taking a single sick day, ultimately serving as a Director of Information Systems. An IBM-certified pioneer of the early computer industry, Jerry worked with computers long before the rest of us knew we needed them, but for all his fascination with systems, he never forgot the people inside them. He tried to clear his schedule before holidays so he could personally wish as many employees as possible a good holiday, and when layoffs became unavoidable, he insisted on delivering the news himself rather than allowing a difficult moment to become an impersonal one. His fascination with technology continued throughout his life, and even in his eighties he kept pace with the latest devices and maintained an active presence on the Facebook.

Jerry gave just as much of himself to Derby and to others. He was a founding father of the Derby Running Club and contributed substantial sweat equity toward Garrett Park and the Derby Optimist Club. Over the years, he also donated an extraordinary amount of blood, quietly saving an unknowable number of lives and helping people he would never meet. On another occasion, while driving to work, he spotted an overturned tractor, discovered a man trapped beneath it, and stopped to help save his life.

He was also an automobile enthusiast whose collection over the years included a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door hardtop, a 1964½ Mustang convertible and the equally important 2005 Mini Cooper convertible, beloved by his grandchildren, along with the golf cart, for the opportunities they provided to push the limits of physics. At home, he became an accomplished horticulturist and the unquestioned authority over his meticulously cultivated yard, particularly when it came to enticing hummingbirds into the backyard. Jerry remained, as previously established, a lifelong vegetarian whose favorite food was very well-cooked bacon. He also held black licorice, peanut butter and crackers, A&W cream soda, and popcorn in unusually high regard, routinely requesting extra butter on the grounds that “it’s a special occasion.” These pretzels are making me thirsty.

Much of Jerry’s finest work was done with his grandchildren, who adored him. Together they developed inventions involving golf-ball retrieval, frozen goods, and countless other enterprises whose commercial potential remains tragically unrealized. He also remained committed to lifelong fitness, which his grandchildren experienced primarily through his insistence on parking unnecessarily far from every destination. Ordinary afternoons became milkshake runs and educational field trips involving obscure local landmarks, notorious addresses, and one unusually proportioned residence which requires no further elaboration for those who were there. He took them to NuWay, supplied them with root beer and convinced them they were getting “smashed.” Summer breaks also brought many backyard camping adventures, with accommodations kept appropriately primitive in the interest of building character. Jerry was a masterful storyteller, and strict adherence to the historical record was never allowed to diminish a worthwhile tale.

Behind the tall tales, field trips and bacon-based vegetarianism was a soft-spoken man who loved his family enormously and showed it through the way he lived. Jerry worked hard, gave generously and was always there. Above all, he built his life around Norma, still reaching for her hand after more than half a century together. He invested himself in his community, took his grandchildren along for the ride, and left them with enough stories to keep him present at family gatherings for generations. Jerry will forever be a legend in the minds of his family and friends, and after a life so full, we hope he has found a Peaceful Easy Feeling.

Jerry is survived by his wife of more than 57 years, Norma Coles (Kongs); his brother, Joe Coles, and his wife, Stevie (Hefner); his children, Jennifer Genovese and her husband, Tom, Catherine Heidel and her husband, Clay, and John Coles; his grandchildren, Collin Ayer and his partner Alejandra Diaz, Caraline Baskin and her husband, Davonte, Chandler Ayer and his wife, Elizabeth, Anthony Genovese, and Alex Genovese; and his honorary grandson, 刘越 (Torchy Liu).

There will be a celebration of life on November 1st from 1:00-3:00 at The Sandbox. Located at 2412 N. Rock Road, Derby KS. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer a donation to Victory In TheValley. A non-profit that supports cancer patients in Wichita. This can be done online at victoryinthevalley.org