We have learned that last May, the Sayville High School Class of 1974 lost another valued member, Warren Alan Gerard. Warren, 68, of Inverness, Florida, passed away on May 15, 2024. He was born on December 5, 1955, in West Sayville, New York, to the late Willis A. and Viola F. Gerard.

A proud graduate of Sayville High School, Warren carried the skills and friendships from his youth throughout his life. Classmates remember him as a quiet, dependable presence, often tinkering with cars even then. He maintained many of those Sayville friendships long after moving to Florida, a testament to the genuine connections he forged. He is remembered fondly by Edward Mason, Class of 1974, whose family home at 57 Colony Drive backed up to the Gerards’ property on Brook Street in West Sayville. The two later lived in close proximity in Florida, and in a recent conversation, Ed recalled not only Warren’s mechanical craftsmanship but also an unexpected artistic flair.

A resident of Inverness for many years, Warren was a skilled auto mechanic by trade. His aptitude for working with engines, honed in the garages and driveways of Brook Street in West Sayville alongside his good friends Eddie Mason, Harold Ezone and Billy Mullady, became his life’s work.

For decades, Warren was a trusted fixture at Tropical Auto, a well-known service center in Beverly Hills, Florida, where his expertise and integrity were valued by customers and colleagues alike.

He is survived by his two daughters, Cheryl and Danielle; his dear brother, Gary Gerard (a Navy veteran and lifelong West Sayville fireman); and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Willis and Viola. Many in the community will remember Warren’s Dad, Willis, as the long-time manager of the Sayville Movie Theatre.

A Quiet Remembrance

Warren Gerard was a man of few words but capable hands. For those who knew him from the old neighborhood on Brook Street in West Sayville—friends like Eddie Mason and Harold Ezone who shared his passion for cars—or from the halls of Sayville High School, he was the friend you could count on to diagnose that strange engine knock or get a stalled car running again. What started as a teenage passion became a lifelong profession marked by quiet competence. This mechanical gift was a family trait; he and his brother, Gary, both possessed an almost uncanny ability to diagnose and repair almost any mechanical device or appliance.

He was not one for the spotlight, preferring the logical, tangible world of machinery to fanfare, yet those who looked closely saw an artist in his work. Many will smile, as we do, remembering the awesome custom pin-striping he painted on an ancient truck in the late 1960s, which he proudly signed “custom by Toad”—a playful moniker derived from an era comedy movie. Colleagues at Tropical Auto knew him as a thorough and honest mechanic who took genuine pride in a repair done right the first time, a virtue that earned him a loyal clientele in Citrus County.

He leaves behind his daughters, Cheryl and Danielle, who carry forward the lessons of his steady, practical approach to life. While he and his brother, Gary, led separate adult lives, the bonds of their Long Island upbringing and their shared, ingenious knack for fixing things remained.

Warren’s legacy is one of steadfast reliability; a master of his craft who communicated more through action than words. His was a quiet presence, and he will be remembered for his straightforward nature, his practical skill, a hidden artistic touch, and the unassuming, honest life he led.

He will be missed by family, friends, and all who appreciated a true craftsman.