Jerry Patrick Wolford's Obituary
Jerry Patrick Wolford passed away peacefully on January 7th, 2024 in Grove City, OH, he was 82. He was born on November 2nd, 1941, to Lawrence Wolford and Marie (Carroll) Wolford. Jerry attended Galien High School in Galien, MI where he was involved in many activities. He went on to graduate from Michigan State University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He started his career with John Deere immediately after college where he held several positions, most notably Territory Manager for the Thumb of Michigan, based out of his long-time home of Caro, MI. During his illustrious career he won numerous awards for being one of the best in his field of work at the company. He retired from John Deere in 1998 after 30+ years of service. Jerry is survived by his wife of 59 years, Linda (Eaton) Wolford, and his children Marcy Downing, James Wolford (Nadeen) and Larry Wolford (Melissa). He is also survived by his brother James Wolford (Beri), grandson’s Alex Wolford and Jax Wolford, and granddaughters Sara Downing (Chris), Kaylin Tackett (Josh) and Cora Wolford, great-granddaughter Aliva Johnson and great-grandson Jayce Tackett. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. Jerry was the most ardent Michigan State University athletic supporter, where he shared season football tickets with his brother Jim for 30+ years and basketball season tickets for many years as well. The football tailgates were legendary over the years where family and friends came together to cheer on the Spartans. He also generously donated to the university establishing himself as a “Presidents Club” member. He was also a lifelong fervent Chicago Cubs fan and a lifelong subscriber to their “Vine Line Magazine” – he used to recall watching his favorite player, Ernie Banks, as a child. Family, though, was most important to Jerry, he was a tremendous husband, father, and friend – his loyalty was unmatched and his love for his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will be greatly missed. There will be a “celebration of life” event being held on Saturday, March 2nd (1pm) at the Salvation Army Distribution Center on 3305 S. Pennsylvania, Lansing, MI.
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