Clerk of the courts transition finds Strack training Gerk

    Case processing and coordination of judicial activities are just the tip of the iceberg for the training focus at the office of the Phillips County Clerk of the Combined Courts in Holyoke.
    Joy Strack, who has served as clerk of the combined courts for almost 14 years, is training newly hired Hollie Gerk, who will assume the post when Strack retires Sept. 1.
    Training began last Monday, July 15, after Gerk was hired by the 13th Judicial District.
    Last week, after only three days together, the duo was already gaining a true appreciation for each other. “Joy is a wealth of information,” Gerk said, adding that she’s grateful for the seven-week training time for this transition. She also noted appreciation for personnel in other area offices who are so willing to answer her questions.
    Also thankful for the transition time, Strack said she is happy to welcome Gerk to the position. “I think she’ll do a good job — she’s already doing well after only three days,” Strack said.
    Duties of the court clerk are vast. The role involves seeing cases through from beginning to end. The court clerk provides customer service, data entry, file maintenance, intake and disbursement of monies owed the court, scheduling of court proceedings, assistance with caseflow management for the judge and maintenance of an orderly courtroom.
    Additionally, the court clerk serves as jury commissioner, probate registrar and appeals clerk.
    Case types not only involve criminal, traffic and misdemeanor, but also divorces, estates, guardianships, conservators, adoptions, and civil and small claims courts.
    Phillips County Judge Kim Killin performed the swearing-in ceremony for Gerk July 15, and the new court clerk hit the ground running.
    Having worked in a local attorney office for close to 20 years, Gerk is not new to the legal system. She said she’s always been interested in the court side of the system and looks forward to serving as the court clerk.
    Gerk moved to Holyoke with her parents, Harvey and Carol Eurich, in 1979, in the eighth grade, when her dad took a teaching position in the school district.
    She graduated from Holyoke High School in 1984 and from Northeastern Junior College in 1986, with an associate degree in business administration.
    After she and her husband, Casey Gerk, were married in 1986, she worked a couple of jobs for three years before becoming a legal assistant for Colver & Killin law firm for 15 years.
    Following a break when her kids were involved in activities, Gerk started back part-time with Colver, Killin & Sprague in 2015 and continued with the firm when it merged with Cline Williams. She held that position until July 3.
    Gerk and her husband have three children and two grandchildren. They include daughter Megan Streff and her husband Ryan of Holyoke, son Brett Gerk and his wife Jordan and their children Leighton and Easton of Holyoke, and daughter Laura Gerk of Fort Morgan.
    “I’m thankful to be given the opportunity to be appointed to this position, and I will do my best to serve in that capacity,” Gerk said.
    
Strack looks to retirement with anticipation
    Planning to remain in Holyoke after her retirement, Strack eyes her new status with fond anticipation.
    “I’ve never been able to stay home. It will be really nice to have time to read, cook, spend time with family — just do whatever I want,” Strack said.
    Cooking has always been a favorite pastime for the soon-to-be retired court clerk. She collects cookbooks and has multiple new recipes that have just been waiting for her to have time to try.
    It’s not that she hasn’t cooked while she was working. Strack is known for her generosity in sharing baked goods. “I just like to share what I make with my friends,” she admitted.
    Jurors, court staff, attorneys and more have all reaped the benefit of Strack’s love of her time in the kitchen.
    Not only does Strack anticipate time to pounce on her love of reading, she hopes to kick back and watch old westerns and cop shows, which are her favorite.
    Puttering in her garden, making homemade salsa (again to share with all around) and continuing to feed the travel bug within her are plans that have retirement looking mighty nice.
    “I never thought I would be able to retire,” Strack admits as she looks at a calendar, eyeing Aug. 30 as her last day in the office.
    Born in Julesburg, Strack moved to her parents’ home state of Wisconsin for 10 years before returning to northeast Colorado and graduating in 1967 in the first class of Revere High School in Ovid.
    She worked in various restaurants and a 16 1/2-year stint at Safeway in Julesburg before it closed prior to taking a dispatcher job with Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.
    It was at the end of that 13 1/2 years as a dispatcher that she started helping Sedgwick County Court Clerk Sue Kinnison a couple of days a month. When the Phillips County clerk of the combined courts position opened in 2005, Kinnison encouraged Strack to apply.
    After close to 14 years, Strack admits it was a good decision. “I would like to thank the citizens of Phillips County for allowing me to serve them. It has been a good job in so many ways.”
    Strack’s family includes her son, Michael Lambert and his wife Kathy of Arvada, and daughter, Angie Rich and her husband Todd of Sidney, Nebraska, as well as four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
    The community will have a chance to say farewell to Strack at a celebration on her last day of work, Friday, Aug. 30, from 1-3 p.m. in the Phillips County Courtroom.