Gerald Edward Beers of Priest River, Idaho, went to be with his Savior and Lord peacefully with family by his side on Feb. 22, 2017. He was 92.
He was predeceased by his parents, Bruce and Gladys Beers; brothers Bruce and Rod; his first wife, Christine; son Dwight and many cousins.
He is survived by his wife, Marie; daughters Yvonne Beers of Priest River, Pamela (Don) Redford of Lynnwood, Washington, and Becky (Scott) Wilson of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; sons Brian (Kristina) Beers of Olympia, Washington, and Edward (Corina) Beers of Long Beach, Washington; sister Milly (Earl) Magnuson of Seattle; grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and others who knew and loved him.
A memorial service will be held in Peninsula Union Church on Peninsula Road in Priest River on March 23 at 4:30 p.m. Pastor Bill Lemm will officiate. Burial will be in the State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake, Washington, at 2:15 p.m. March 24.
Jerry was born to Gladys (Mullen) and Bruce Floyd Beers on Oct. 4, 1924 in Centralia, Washington, the oldest of four children. During World War II he landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, in the 79th Infantry Division and loved to tell stories about walking across France, Holland, Belgium and Germany and into Czechoslovakia. He could talk for hours (and did!) about those experiences.
Once discharged from the U.S. Army, he married Christine (Wilson) Beers and they had three children, Dwight, Yvonne and Pamela. He worked for the City of Seattle for 22 years as a building inspector in Worland, Wyoming, retiring in 1986. He married his second wife, Marie, in September 1974, moving to Billings, Montana. They enjoyed remodeling homes together wherever they lived (Billings, Fort Collins, Colo., Worland, Lynden and Nooksack) and have lived in Priest River over 18 years.
He passed up several offers of lucrative jobs in big cities because he wanted to raise his second family in smaller communities where the pace of life was slower. It didn’t matter where he was living, he enjoyed studying his Bible and sharing what he learned. He enjoyed history and research and wrote five books, having three of them published. Of one of them, “Terror in the Tunnel,” his daughter Becky said it was “a sneaky way of getting the gospel out without ever saying the word God.”
He was a member of Peninsula Union Church in Priest River and the American Legion where he was active until his health declined. He would don his dress uniform and attend and/or speak at any armed service gathering when asked, giving support and encouragement to other veterans.
We want to thank Auburn Crest Hospice for all their help and support during Jerry’s last days.
Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Priest River is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guest book at www.sherman-knapp.com.
