Jerry Monroe

Jerry Lee Monroe was born on July 14, 1947 in Cottage Grove, Oregon to Henry and Eileen (Wall) Monroe. Jerry grew up in the Cottage Grove area where he enjoyed hunting, fishing, sports and working in the wood shop with his father.  He spent his summers working in the woods to put himself through college. Jerry attended Oregon State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in business. After college he was drafted into the Marine Corps and served from 1969 to 1975 until he was honorably discharged. In 1970 he met his soul mate Rickie Choat and they were married on August 18, 1973.  Jerry embraced fatherhood and loved being a family man.  He was devoted to his family and enjoyed coaching their sports and being present for all of their activities.  Jerry worked in retail management for 43 years, starting with K-Mart, eventually becoming a district manager.  During this time it was not uncommon for him to bring his children to work and instill his strong work ethic.  After moving to Washington with his son and family, Jerry enjoyed keeping busy so retirement did not come naturally, he retired for the second time in 2013. He eventually moved to Mill City Oregon with his son and family, where he could enjoy retirement and quality time with his grandchildren. Jerry loved hunting, fishing, hiking and camping in the three Sisters wilderness area and riding quads on the Dunes at Winchester Bay with his children, Father and Father-in-Law.   Jerry loved sharing his passion for the outdoors with his family and friends.  Also he loved helping his family and friends with projects.  Jerry could build almost anything. He enjoyed watching football and rooting for the Steelers or 49’ers, and when it came to baseball he was a Mariners fan. But through in through, he was a Beaver fan for life! Jerry passed away on December 5, 2019 in Mill City, Oregon at age 72. He will be remembered for never meeting a stranger, strong devotion to his family and great love of the outdoors. Jerry is survived by his wife, Rickie; daughters, Shannon (Mike) Burgess, Juli (Mike) Fletcher, Sheri (Dan) Opdenweyer and son, Jason (Anna) Monroe; sister, Joan Perkins and sister-in-law Edie Nagel; 7 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Darrel Monroe and Reese Nagel. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 1pm in Weddle Funeral Service in Stayton.