Feder: Former ABC 7 meteorologist Jerry Taft dies

Jerry Taft, who was a trusted and engaging presence as a top meteorologist on Chicago television and radio for more than 40 years, died Thursday, according to ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. He was 77.

No cause of death of immediately reported, but ABC 7 said he died peacefully surrounded by family members.

Taft retired in January 2018 after 33 years at ABC 7, telling colleagues: “While I still have my health, wit and vitality it's time to hang out with my real family, assuming they still remember me. And I also need to hit the golf course while I still have a single digit handicap.”

The following month Taft moved full-time to Naples, Florida, where he kept busy golfing and working as an Uber driver. “It's not about the money — it's about getting out of the house and talking to people,” he explained.

Taft's interest in weather began in the U.S. Air Force, which he joined as a 19-year-old radar technician. He eventually became a combat pilot, spent a year in Vietnam, taught aviation and flight planning, and earned a degree in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin in 1969.

Get the full report, and more Chicago media news, at robertfeder.com.