Gerald Sunao Santo was born in Ola’a, Hawaii on December 22, 1944, to Tsuyoshi & Yoshiko Santo. Surrounded by loved ones, he entered peacefully into eternal rest on September 3, 2026, in Richland, Washington.

The second oldest of four brothers and a sister, Gerry grew up in Kapoho, Hawaii until 1960 when Kapoho was covered by lava flow, and moved to Pahoa, Hawaii where he met Leatrice Miura and married on November 30, 1968. They were married for 57 years.

Gerry graduated from Pahoa High School in 1962. He then attended the University of Hawaii where he obtained a B.S. in Tropical Agriculture in 1967 and a M.S. in Plant Pathology in 1969. He then attended UC Davis where he obtained a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology-Nematology in 1974, then moved to Prosser, WA where he worked at Washington State University’s Irrigated Agricultural Research Center (WSU-IAREC) until 2002.

During his time at WSU-IAREC, he worked as a professor and plant pathologist/nematologist where he was recognized for his pioneering work on the etiology, epidemiology, and control of nematode-incited diseases in Washington & Oregon. He is best known for discovering a previously unidentified species of nematode, the Columbia root-knot nematode (CRKN), Meloidogyne chitwoodi, a microscopic, unsegmented worm destructive to crops, especially to potatoes, which the Pacific Northwest produces 62% of the total yield of potatoes in the United States. He was one of the first in the country to develop a research program to manage the control of CRKN. His work over decades has saved farmers in Eastern Washington, Oregon, and Idaho millions of dollars in higher crop yields by using pesticides for treatment of specific nematode infestations in the soil. His work has been published in more than 100 scientific, technical, and press articles, as well as over 30 proceedings and 2 book chapters. In 2018, the University of Hawaii honored him the College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resilience Outstanding Alumnus Award for his pioneering work in nematodes.

Gerry also started his own business in 1977, Northwest Nema-Lab, to help local farmers by analyzing soil samples to identify plant-parasitic nematodes in their crops. He ran his business while working at WSU-IAREC and continued his services even after retirement until 2021.

Gerry & Lea moved to Prosser in 1974, where they both fell in love with the community and made life-long friendships. Gerry truly loved playing in the town’s softball league (Go Haoles+1!) as well as playing tennis and golfing with his buddies. But the thing he loved the most was watching his sons’ sporting events. His hobby was photography, and he was always seen taking pictures at every single one of their games. He realized not everyone was lucky to have photos of their kids, so he started taking pictures of everyone (keep in mind, this was pre-smart phone). At the end of each season, every player on the team would get a stack of pictures of themselves. He also did this for other Prosser High School teams that his sons were not a part of, because he loved the Mustangs so much. He probably kept Sunnyside’s One-Hour Photo in business much longer than they should have, but he never charged anyone. He also photographed many weddings for free as well.

He also helped coach several of his sons’ teams in different sports throughout their childhood, including being a volunteer varsity assistant baseball coach for Prosser High School from 1991-1997.

For his generosity to Prosser High School and the community, PHS Athletics honored him with the Gene Webb Award for Outstanding Support of Prosser Athletics at their annual awards banquet in 2002.

Gerry also served on the executive board of HaitiArise, in which he made several mission trips to Haiti.

He is survived by his wife, Leatrice Santo, his brother Paul (Janice), Derek & Joel, his children Daron & Derek (Michelle), and his grandchildren Ellie, Sam & Cora. He is preceded in death by his brother Lance (Shelley), sister Barbara Kato, son Jeremy, and countless other family members and friends who loved him.

In lieu of flowers, friends may support the memory of Gerry by donating to the “Gerry & Lea Santo Viticulture Scholarship Fund” established by the Wine Country Cougars. The fund will provide a scholarship(s) to a Washington State University undergraduate student majoring in Viticulture/Enology. Donations can be made at winecountrycougs.com or by mailing a check made out to Wine Country Cougars and designating Santo Scholarship on the check. Please mail to: Wine Country Cougars at 2005 Benson Ave Prosser, WA 99350.

Funeral service will be at the Prosser Foundation Church on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026 at 12:00pm, followed by a reception at The Walter Clore Center in Prosser.