In Memory
01/06/2018 obit list from Beth Berry
Jerome Clark Comer
May 24, 1959 - Jul.4, 2006
On July 4, 2006, at 5:39 a.m., Jerome Clark Comer, 47, passed away unexpectedly in his home.
He was born to Lestine Pettus of South Bend, and was adopted by James and Minnie Comer, who both preceded him in death.
On March 19, 1980, he married Karen Brandy. From this union, his heart, Jennifer Vance, was born. Jennifer and her husband, Mark, later gave him two grandchildren, who were his pride and joy.
Jerome graduated from LaSalle High School in 1977. He played basketball and was an extraordinary tennis player up until his death. He was baptized at Saint Paul Bethel Missionary Baptist Church by Rev. Gilbert C. Washington.
For several years he worked for Mastics Corporation before their closing. After working for Mastics, he worked as a telemarketer in downtown South Bend.
Jerome was very loved by his family and his memory will be cherished by his ex-wife, Karen Brandy-Comer of South Bend, Indiana; his daughter, Jennifer V. (Mark) Liddell of South Bend; two grandchildren, Kevin Jerome and Kamille Charlotte; his in-laws, Barbara V. Brandy and Eddie Brandy of South Bend; two brothers-in-law, Abdulla Karim and Kenneth (Tanicia) Brandy, all of Chicago; a sister, Ruth Clark; biological mother, Lestine Pettus of South Bend; and a biological brother, Rev. Anthony Pettus of Fort Wayne, Indiana; along with a host of nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Jerome Comer Memorial Fund at Teachers Credit Union.
Services for Jerome Clark Comer will be held on Monday, July 10, 2006, at 1:00 p.m. in Alford's Mortuary, where friends may call one hour before services for visitation.
Arrangements have been entrusted with Alford's Mortuary. Condolences may be sent to alfordsmortuary@comcast.net, c/o the Comer family.
Father's death a warning
My father, Jerome Comer, always tried to find the fun things in life.
At 6 feet 5 inches, he was always noticed when he walked into a room, and easy to find in a crowd. His laugh was contagious, and his jokes were hilarious.
On July 4, 2006, his laughs and jokes came to an end.
He died of a massive heart attack at 47 years old due to an enlarged heart. This heart attack claimed his life while he was doing something he loved ... cooking.
If nothing else comes out of this experience, I hope it proves once again how important it is for men to have regular health exams.
My father did well with this until health costs became too expensive.
Maybe one day this will be a thing of the past.
Not only did my father not have health insurance, he also did not have life insurance.
He had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, all of which are hard to cover, if at all, without a high premium.
Because Daddy did not have life insurance when he died, my mother, Karen Brandy-Comer, and I struggled to find money to bury him.
Burial plots must be paid in full before they will bury a person.
We sought help from the Portage Township trustee's office, which helped me with paperwork and had everything prepared for me when I arrived the day of the funeral.
We also contacted the South Bend Tribune, which wrote an article about our situation.
With the help of Linda Bonds and the wonderful people at Teachers Credit Union downtown, we were able to establish the Jerome Comer Memorial Fund.
The fund was mentioned in the article, and the response was more than we could ever have imagined.
Thanks to the support of this community, we were able to pay for the plot and most of the funeral expenses.
We would like to thank everyone who made a donation.
It is good to know that there still are good Samaritans.
Jennifer Liddell lives in South Bend.
South Bend Tribune - September 6, 2006.
03/21/2022 DEC
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