Jerry Willis
Age - 86
December 2, 2023
Jerry Talmadge Willis, age 86, of Shelby, NC passed away on November 29, 2023.
Jerry was born in 1937 to Hartford Willis and Elvena Ivester in Cleveland County, NC. He grew up on the family farm, played basketball and baseball on his high school teams, participated in Holstein cattle judging competitions and was an active member of the 4-H club. He met his future wife, Sybil Bridges, at a 4-H summer camp in Swannanoa, NC while in high school in the mid-1950s. After graduating from Belwood High School, Jerry earned a BS degree in Agricultural Sciences from North Carolina State College (now NCSU) in 1959. He was an active participant in NC State's ROTC program and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army in 1959. Later in life, Jerry earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
Jerry and Sybil married in 1959 at the Polkville United Methodist Church after which Jerry embarked on a 28-year military career that took him to 20 locations, including Germany and Iran. His military specialties were Field Artillery, Aviation, and Comptrollership. As a US Army Vietnam Veteran, Jerry served as a Fixed Wing Aircraft Aviator with the 1st Infantry Division in his first tour 1965-66, and as a Huey Helicopter Pilot with the 82nd Airborne Division on his second tour 1968-69. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Air Medal, both with numerous Oak Leaf Clusters, for his service in Vietnam. Jerry went on to become a student and instructor at the Command and General Staff College at Ft Leavenworth, Kansas, an Aviation Officer with the XVIII Airborne Corps at Ft. Bragg, Comptroller of US Support Command in Iran, served in the Army Staff Office at the Pentagon, and an ROTC Regional Comptroller in Ft. Bragg, among many other assignments. After 28 years of Military Service, Jerry retired as a Lt. Colonel. He and Sybil returned back to their roots in Cleveland County, NC in 1987.
In their later years, Jerry and Sybil established a thriving rental property business in Shelby, NC. They enjoyed the company of frequent visits from their children and grandchildren, who helped them work on the family rental properties, rode around the family tree farms, and jumped into the leaf piles at Thanksgiving.
For the past six months, Jerry was a resident at the VA Community Living Center (CLC) in Asheville, NC during which his medical care was provided in the hospital, short-term rehabilitation center and long-term care units. For the past two weeks, Jerry received care in the Valor Hospice Unit providing him with comfort and allowing him dignity in a compassionate setting during his final days. The family is forever grateful to the physicians, nurses and support staff for the medical care and support they provided.
Jerry was a role model for his children, grandchildren, and future generations. His life exemplified the value of service to pillars greater than one's self - country, family, and love. His family will miss his quiet steadiness and sharp sense of humor. They take comfort in the trust that he and Sybil are together once again, which is right where they belong.
Jerry is predeceased by his wife Sybil, his parents Hartford and Elvena, his sisters Joan and Cynthia, and his infant brother Jessie. He is survived by his three children: Jeffrey Willis and wife Mary Kelley of Raleigh, NC, Sarah and husband Luke Helbling of Callaway, MD and Jennifer and husband Steve Wynn of Ashburn, VA. His family includes seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; John Willis and wife Katherine of Louisville, KY and their daughter Anne, and Caroline Willis of Dublin, Ireland; Daniel Helbling and wife Allie of Edgewater, MD, and their daughter Daphne, and Laura Helbling of Gaithersburg, MD; Alex Wynn of Dallas, TX, Emily and husband Stephen Cracknell of Monterey, CA and their son Henry, and Eric Wynn of Arlington, VA. He is also survived by his brother Halford Willis and wife Nina of Winston Salem, NC.
The family will receive friends on Saturday, December 16, 2023, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Stamey-Tysinger Funeral Home, Fallston.
The funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 2:00 PM in the Stamey-Tysinger Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Patrick Willis officiating.
The burial will follow the service in the Polkville United Methodist Church Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made directly to the Polkville Community Church, PO Box 9, Polkville, NC 28136 or Knob Creek Methodist Church, c/o Steen Richard, 948 Belwood Lawndale Rd, Lawndale, NC 28090.Show more
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