Gary Geers, longtime KYW host and announcer, dies at 84

LIVING WITH Gary Geers, there were certain immutable rules. The most important was you had to tiptoe around the house after 8 p.m. because that was when Gary went to bed.

After all, he had to be up at 3:30 a.m. to get to the KYW-TV studios, at 5th and Market streets, by 4:30 a.m. to start his day's work as an announcer. For 41 years, he followed that routine. He used to say that if he didn't get that 7 1/2 hours of sleep he wasn't good for anything.

Over his four decades of service to KYW, he hosted a farm show, a religious program, did the weather, commercials, sign-ons and sign-offs and other jobs. Geers' dulcet baritone became familiar to generations of viewers and listeners.

He died Wednesday of cancer. He was 84 and lived in Sun City, near Tampa, Fla., but had lived through most of his career in Lima, Delaware County.

Gary's "Farm, Home and Garden Show," which ran Monday through Friday from 5:35 to 5:45 a.m. for 38 years, was surprisingly popular for such an early-morning broadcast that lasted only 10 minutes. But that wasn't why Gary got up so early. The shows were taped in advance. He got up to do the weather and whatever chores he had to deal with until his shift ended about 3 p.m.

He loved it. That was why, when he retired in December 1994, he did so reluctantly. When staffers congratulated him on his retirement, he would respond, "Thanks - I guess."

He started at Channel 3 in 1953 doing live booth announcing and commercials. In the '70s, he wrote and hosted two half-hour programs, an animal-themed show called "Wildsville," and the religious-themed "Connections." He also taught communications at Temple University.

Things started to go downhill for Gary in 1990, when the station canceled the farm show and "Connections."

That left him in the role of staff announcer, a kind of utility man. He was able to tape all his announcements for the day in an hour.

Gary was born in Bridgeton, N.J., to Christine and Nicholas Geers, Dutch immigrants. He graduated from Upper Merion High School in 1944. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in China, driving heavy trucks, cooking, and doing other chores in a support outfit.

After leaving the service, he enrolled at Northwestern University and graduated in 1951.

His father had been a nurseryman and groundskeeper for an estate in Gladwyne, and Gary interviewed him occasionally for the farm show.

He started his broadcasting career in 1951 with WCAU-TV. He moved to WFIL (later WPVI), and for a few months was a disc jockey for a show later taken over by Dick Clark.

In 1953, he moved to WPTZ-TV, which evolved into KYW.

His daughter, Laurie Geers, remembers visiting him at the station when she was a child.

"He was in a booth with a gigantic clock and a stack of papers," she recalls. "One time, my brother punched me in the stomach and I yelled. I was upset because I thought they would fire my Dad, but he thought it was funny."

That was one of Gary Geers' main characteristics. He was always laid-back, never rattled or upset. After retiring, he and his wife, the former Roseann DeJohn, moved to Florida and enjoyed traveling and tennis. He became active with the Sun City Center United Methodist Church, Habitat for Humanity, and the American Cancer Society.

Besides his wife and daughter, he is survived by two sons, Gary Jr. and David; a brother, Nicholas Geers; a sister, Margaret Speacht; his former wife, Ann T. Geers, and two grandchildren.

Services: Memorial service 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Florida church.