Retired Fairfax County Board Supervisor Gerry Hyland comments at the dedication and renaming of the South County Government Building to the Gerry W. Hyland Building on September 20, 2019. The name change honored Hyland, the Mount Vernon District representative on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1988-2015.
Obituary
Gerald “Gerry” W. Hyland (Colonel, USAF, Ret.), 88, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 19, 2025. Born on August 17, 1936 in Holden, Massachusetts, Gerry was the first of his family to attend college at Holy Cross and receive his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University School of Law, where he met and later married his law school sweetheart, Carmen Josefina Colón. He was a reservist in the Air Force with the Judge Advocate General’s Office and served four years of active duty in Normandy (France). Upon returning to the U.S., Gerry remained active in the Air Force Reserve for 30 years, and worked for the Credit Union National Association, as legislative counsel. Together with Carmen, they founded the law firm Hyland & Hyland in 1976 and he practiced law as a member of the Virginia State Bar for 50 years.
Public service was Gerry’s calling and passion. In Fairfax County, he served on the Board of Zoning Appeals and was elected in 1987 as the Mount Vernon District Supervisor, a position he held for 28 years before retiring in 2015.
He gave his all to ensure that the citizens of Mount Vernon were deeply involved in the decisions affecting their lives and the community. He was known as a “leader who listens” and who always considered how the County could support the most vulnerable of its residents.
Gerry was instrumental in the efforts to close the county I-95 landfill, he led the effort to keep the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital open and led the transformation of Lorton. His annual Town Hall Meetings and Lobsterfests, attended by hundreds of residents, politicians and County leaders, were testament to his deep commitment and connection to the community. In 2019, Fairfax County rededicated the Gerry Hyland Government Center, home to family services, community health, career programs, a senior and teen center and more, including many public rooms essential for community meetings and workshops.
In addition to his supervisor role, Gerry also served as chairman of the Virginia Railway Express, is a past president of the Virginia Association of Counties and served on the National Association of Counties Board of Directors.
Outside of public service and family, Gerry’s other love was “the farm” – his 35-acre “sanctuary” in Parksley, Va. where he grew vegetables, raised everything from a bull, to chickens, sheep and peacocks, and caught crab on his dock that he would bring back to share with cherished friends.
Gerry Hyland was predeceased by his wife Carmen, parents Maurice and Eve (Shimkus) Hyland, sister Cecile Gelardi, and companion Shirley Robson. He is survived by his daughter, Christiane Gigi Hyland, and son-in-law Christopher Revere of Mount Vernon. He is also survived by three siblings: twin sister Carole Santos of Marstons Mills, MA; brother, Ted Hyland and wife Tina of Southborough, MA; younger sister, Christine Sweeney and husband Jack of West Hyannisport, MA; best friend William Bock of Mount Vernon; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews who adored “Uncle Gerry” and the delight he brought to family gatherings at the farm and on Cape Cod.
The Hyland family expresses eternal appreciation to Dr. Soren Caffee and the doctors, nurses and caregivers at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and Paul Spring Retirement Community for their love and devotion. A community celebration of Gerry’s life will be held in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the PKD Foundation (https://pkdcure.org/) or to the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust (https://veslt.org/).