Deceased July 28, 2022
Jerry Roy Williams died July 28, 2022, at the age of 77 following a seven-year battle with Stage 4 Metastatic Prostate Cancer. Jerry slipped away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by family and friends at his home in Springfield, Ore.
Jerry was a 6-foot-4 gentle giant of a man. He never met a stranger, visiting and making friends with everyone he encountered. Jerry always had a smile on his face and lived life with joy and optimism. Even extremely ill with cancer he would tell others, “I’m doing great! I love life!”
Jerry was the youngest of nine children born to Roy and Myrtle Williams in Boise, Idaho. He grew up biking around town, hiking in the foothills, swimming in the Boise River and having picnics with his huge family. He graduated from Boise High in 1964 where he played the sousaphone in the marching band. His nephew Richard Hardy also attended Boise High and was two years older. Richard loved to yell “Hi, Uncle Jer” across the crowded school hallways to embarrass Jerry.
After high school, Jerry attended Northwest Christian College, and Boise State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Jerry could have chosen any career and been a success. At times, he even thought of a life in the ministry. Ultimately, he gravitated to the field of psychology. He earned a master’s degree in counseling from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore. For forty years Jerry worked as a professional counselor. His specialty was crisis intervention in the emergency room setting and civil commitment. The pinnacle of his career was working for the State of Oregon Mental Health Division. He traveled to every corner of the state to share his expertise. Jerry prided himself on returning every phone call that came into his office, abhorring civil servants who ignored calls.
Jerry was also a Vietnam veteran, serving in the Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga repairing aircraft hydraulic systems on the flight deck. Jerry loved his time in the Navy despite traumatic experiences aboard ship. A high point of his life was visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Jerry loved family. He and his wife Bonny Barr were the perfect match. He said it repeatedly, “The best thing that ever happened to me is that I met Bonny Barr.” They were inseparable, constantly traveling, backpacking, and camping, usually with several of their five children. Jerry and Bonny attracted a crowd of friends and family who were always ready to grab their backpacks and drive off to the next trail head.
Jerry’s favorite places were the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Grand Canyon and the Yucatan peninsula. Jerry also loved time with his extended family in Boise at their annual picnics and Thanksgiving feasts, gathering with them for the last time just a week before his death.
Jerry Williams was an athlete, a marathoner, weightlifter, and cyclist. He and his best friend Lynn Griffith spent decades running and biking together. Their motto was “Start slow and taper off,” never taking their competitions too seriously. As Jerry also said, “Life is too serious to be taken seriously.” Jerry enjoyed unusual travel. He once rode local buses alone for 20 hours from San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City, Panama just to see the canal; then the next day rode the bus back for 20 hours. He and his father-in-law, Bob Barr, rode local transportation from the San Diego Airport all the way to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in 1999, which left them best buddies for life! And Jerry loved college sports. He was a die-hard fan of the Boise State Broncos and the University of Oregon Ducks. He hated the few times the teams played one another as he did not know who to root for.
Jerry always said he had done everything that he had ever dreamed of doing. However, in his last days, the World Championships 2022 came to Oregon, and he was so excited to attend. When the course was announced for the Men and Women’s Marathon, the race went right by his and Bonny’s home in Springfield. He was determined to attend.
During the race, Jerry got out of his wheelchair, and with a cane, he was up and down the street meeting all the athlete support staff who had set up watering tables along Jerry’s backyard. Jerry made friends with team members from all over the world: Sweden, Kenya, South Africa, Mexico, Morocco. They all wanted a selfie with Jerry. Jerry finished the day with new friends and a dream achieved.
Jerry will never be forgotten. He is survived by his wife Bonny Barr, his three children: Mindy, Matt, and Tim (Kelsey) Williams, two stepchildren: Sadie (Jamal) and Sam Baratta (Emily), two grandchildren, his in-laws Beryl and Robert Barr, and dozens of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews and a host of friends.
Later in life, Jerry Williams helped to establish the Polk Community Free Clinic in Dallas, Ore. where he loved volunteering as a greeter. The clinic provides free medical and mental health services to all in need and is staffed completely by volunteers. Donations may be made in Jerry’s name (add in comments box) at http://salemfreeclinics.org/ways-to-give. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
