Father Father Charles W. Gerloff, a retired Alexandria pastor, died Tuesday, July 19, while preparing for Mass at St. Gregory Church in Virginia Beach. He was 89.

Father Gerloff was born Aug. 31, 1915, in Norfolk to Charles W. and Mary Louise Gerloff. He attended St. Mary Elementary and High Schools and graduated from St. Charles College in Catonsville, Md., in 1938. He attended Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. After graduating, he was ordained March 3, 1945, by former Richmond Bishop Peter L. Ireton.

Father Gerloff served as associate pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in Arlington, 1945-51; St. Joseph Parish in Petersburg, 1951-56; and Holy Comforter Parish in Charlottesville, 1956-1959.

He was appointed pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., 1959-64; Holy Angels Parish in Portsmouth, 1964-69; Sacred Heart Parish in Winchester, 1969-76; and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Arlington, 1976-83. He served as pastor of Queen of Apostles Parish in Alexandria in 1983, retired on Nov. 1, 1990, and moved to Virginia Beach.

Father Gerloff was preceded in death by three younger brothers, Frank M. Gerloff, John B. Gerloff and Paul V. Gerloff.

Luta McGrath, a parishioner at Queen of Apostles Parish for 27 years and a close friend of Father Gerloff, said that Father Gerloff was "a wonderful man." McGrath converted to the Church in 1978.

"He was dearly loved by all the parishioners," she said. "People kept going to see him after he retired."

McGrath said that Father Gerloff liked to stay active and was "a great admirer of all the arts. He was a great traveler and had traveled, I think, every place possible. He adored Bali. He was a very considerate and kind person. I would venture to say he was loved by all people."

"He was grand — a truly loving good, good friend," said Carole DeLong, parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Arlington, and the priest’s longtime friend.

A funeral Mass was offered at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Virginia Beach on July 25. Interment followed at St. Mary Cemetery in Norfolk. Msgr. R. Roy Cosby, vicar general for the diocese, attended the funeral as a representative of Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde.