Jerry Lee Southard

Jerry Lee Southard died at his home in Idaho Falls on Sunday, June 28, 2015 after a short battle with lung cancer. He was 71 years old. He is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Judy Southard. Jerry is survived by his devoted wife of 50 years, Virginia, who always took good care of him and never more tenderly then during his illness. Together, they raised four sons; Chris, Jeff, Randy and Sean in Concord California. Jerry loved all ten of his grandchildren; Kaitlin, Kayla, James, Julia, Maddie, Taison, Molly, Daimon, Jaison and Danika. Jerry was born on June 9th, 1944 in East Chicago, Indiana. He spent his childhood in Indiana and completed his education through high school. Attended Western Michigan University. On July 24th, 1965, he married the love of his life, Virginia, and the two braved the move west to California to explore new opportunities. Jerry spent the majority of his professional career working for the global construction and engineering firm Bechtel at their corporate headquarters in San Francisco. He started modestly enough as an inspector in the field and worked his way up to management. He spent 36 years dedicated to this company and was honored for his long years of service. Following Bechtel his career included short stops in Portland, Carver, and ended with a Quality Assurance position at the Idaho National Laboratory. In 2004 he received a commendation from the governor for distinguished public service. Jerry was very involved with his sons as they grew up and participated in sports. Some of his fondest memories were of watching his children compete. He routinely volunteered at their swim meets as a starter, stroke and turn judge, timekeeper, and helped out selling concessions. He was known as one of the most fair and consistent umpires on the little league ballfields and particularly enjoyed working behind the plate. He greatly enjoyed playing board games, card games, and other games involving strategy. A favorite of his was the well-known game of "RISK". On a custom board that Jerry made for the family that included the addition of new rules and game pieces were spent many afternoons in search of global conquest. Jerry was a fierce competitor and had no intention of giving a game away to younger players. Over all the years playing only one son and one grand-daughter can boast of beating him at his own game.

Jerry was an avid reader of both science fiction and spy novels. As a speed reader, he could easily finish a novel in a day or two and did so frequently while riding the BART train to and from work. The garage, attic, and basement are full of boxes of books that he has read. His love for fiction and reading has been passed down to a number of his grand-children. Jerry was an accomplished bowler. This was a lifelong pursuit that was a consuming passion for him that he liked to share with his wife, children, and grandchildren. You could not spend time with Jerry without the subject coming up and more enjoyably a game or three at the local lanes. At the height of his game he was capable of putting up professional scores and loved competing in tournaments. He deeply enjoyed the friendships he formed on the lanes in Idaho Falls. A funeral mass is scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2015, at 11:00 am at Christ the King Catholic Church, 1690 E. 17th Street in Idaho Falls. A rosary will be held on Sunday, July 5, 2015, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. with a viewing from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. both at Buck-Miller-Hann Funeral Home. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Jerry's life. Online condolences may be left at www.buckmillerhann.com. The family would like to thank Dr. Scott Taylor, Dr. Wells and emergency room staff at EIRMC. Their radiology staff and Dr. Adams and One Source Hospice especially nurses Laura and Julie.

Service Details.

Visitation

When: Sunday, July 5th, 2015
Location: Funeral Home
Address:

Second Visitation

When: Sunday, July 5th, 2015
Location: Funeral Home
Address:

Service

When: Monday, July 6th, 2015
Location: Funeral Home
Address: