Jerry was born in Trenton, New Jersey to Angelo and Cecelia and grew up in Bristol, Pennsylvania.  He would describe his dad as a tough man while his mom took pride in staying home to care for him, his siblings and their home.  Jerry loved cars from an early age and as a teenager worked at a local gas station to support his passion.

Originally headed to the Army, Jerry enlisted in the Air Force in August of 1966 and completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.  During his initial intake, he tested well for the role of Radio Frequency Transmission Systems Specialist, where he would be responsible for installing and maintaining radio frequency communications.  After his homecoming from basic training, he returned to Texas to complete an additional 28 weeks of specialized training at Sheppard Air Force Base.  From Texas he traveled to Taiwan for two years, followed by a brief stint in California.  He completed his tour as a sergeant with an honorable discharge in Tampa, Florida at MacDill Air Force Base in February of 1971.

During his last year in the Air Force, Jerry met his wife.  They married in April 1970, had two daughters, built a house together in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and shared their lives with several pets and countless cars.  They divorced after more than 30 years of marriage.

Jerry started at GTE Corporation right out of the military, where he held many roles both on-site in their job centers and on the road, working out of bucket trucks on The Lightning Crew.  He retired after 25 years.

After retirement, Jerry continued to work part time, eventually finding his second career in the Receiving Department at Bealls in Oldsmar, Florida.  He worked there for over 10 years and retired in August of 2022.

Jerry found time to travel when he could.  He saw family in Pennsylvania, visited his granddaughters (and their husbands) in Utah, North Carolina and Texas, and experienced Disneyland in California after having spent his life going to Walt Disney World in Florida.  He even fulfilled his lifelong dream of going to the Grand Canyon in 2021.

Through it all, Jerry’s love of cars never swayed.   From Pintos to Corvettes, he saw something special in every car that he owned.  He would spend his free time tinkering on this or that, customizing parts as needed, always guided by his vision of what a car could and should be.  Typically, once he was out of projects, Jerry would sell that car and move on to the next—the exception being his 1969 ‘Red Hot’ Chevelle.  Even when the projects were done, that car remained with him for more than 30 years.  He sold it a few years ago—“it was time.”  It felt like the end of an era to see the Chevelle go.

Jerry is survived by two brothers, Angelo “Willie” Bascio (Bonnie) and Joesph “Joe” Bascio (Kathy); two daughters, Angela “Angel” Bascio Langston (Phil) and Cynthia ‘Cyndi’ Bascio Briggs (David); three grandchildren, Samantha Langston Cronin (Ben), Sarah Langston (Jon) and Jacob Briggs; and four cars, a 1932 Ford Model B, 1965 Pontiac GTO, 1973 Chevrolet Corvette and a 2003 Chevrolet SSR.

There is a Celebration of Life being held in Jerry’s honor on Friday, March 7, 2025 at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor, FL, bringing together the things he cared most about—his family, his friends and his love of cars.