Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my dad's passing. I can't believe you have been gone a year already. I really miss you daddy !!! 

I have thousands of emails and hundreds of photos from Jerry.  I have spent a few hours going through them today and I've only made it back four years.  Many of the messages and photos brought back many other memories.  I will spend today remembering many of our happy, sad, serious, and hilarious memories.

Still feeling a big empty place in my heart for that man.

Jerry and I didn't share birthday greetings every year but we would acknowledge them occasionally.

Today I was on the phone with someone who also knew Jerry when I mentioned that it was Jerry's birthday today.  He asked me, "How is Jerry doing?"  I said, "He's doing a lot better than you or me!" 

I hope he has a helluva Birthday Party in Heaven today. ツ

This time of year always reminds me of the "Solstice" card that several co-workers and I received from Jerry many years ago at a time when he was not into celebrating Christmas.  It had the following little rhyme that I'll never forget.

Hooray, Hooray, it's solstice day
Which means that spring is on the way.
With longer days from now 'till June
Warm weather cannot come too soon!  

I added the second two lines to it last year on Dec. 21st and sent back to Jerry and we shared a nice memory about it.

I never knew Jerry to be into the commercial side of Christmas.  His observance of the season was sincere and personal.  I remember being a little surprised when Jerry moved to Dameron Valley and he and Miles started putting up a good sized display of Christmas lights ten or eleven years ago.   I should have added another phrase to the rhyme this year in Jerry's honor.  I've tried a few but none of them fit as well as I'd like them to.  Maybe next year.  

Merry Christmas and Happy Solstice Day!

I have known Jerry most of my life. At first as my Father's friend who was kind and would ask questions about how things were going in my life and would patiently listened as I told him of my interests. In our family he was know as the guy that could figure out/fix about anything (which took a bit more effort before Youtube and Google). If there was something I was trying to figure out my Mother would say "Jerry would find a book about it". Jerry would research things in depth to make sure he was making an informed decision or doing things correctly. His projects were often over-engineered. My Father always said Jerry's attitude was "anything worth doing is worth doing to excess."

Jerry always seemed willing to share what he had learned. When he bought his Dodge truck with the Cummins diesel he gave me the folder full of material he had compiled as he was researching it (I think I may still have that folder somewhere).

Jerry always seemed to know where to go to find parts, when I was 10 or 11 years old he told us where to go to get parts for our clothes dryer and with some pointers from him I was able to change the coils on our electric dryer. Later on, the summer l finished high school 2001 Jerry gave me slightly rusty 1987 Honda Accord that needed a new alternator. He handed me the shop manual (you have to remove the driver's side front axle to get to the alternator). I was able to fix that Accord and have fixed quite a few issues with my family's and friend's vehicles using manuals and Youtube videos since. Jerry's example and infulence was helpful to me through my time in college and in my career as an electrical engineer.

I am thankful to have known Jerry and to have called him Friend. I would not be the same person I am today without his influence in my life. Thank you Jerry, I can do it because I can find the information like you would always do.

Kevin Grant 

On my visit with Jerry earlier this month I noticed something on his mantle, prominently displayed among his photographs of flowers and desert landscapes. It was the certificate for 5 year service, awarded to Jack Packard by the State of Utah and signed by, then Governor, Norman Bangerter. The photo accompanying this story isn't too clear, not in the same league with Jerry's photography at all, but I think you'll be able to make it out.

Long time co-worker and friend, Greg Shoop, could tell this story better than I can because he was involved from the beginning. I had already done similar work, but didn't actually do any work with Jack Packard until a few years later.

As I remember it, Jack Packard was a very distinguished, fictious employee in the IT security group at the State of Utah back in the 80's - 90's and beyond. At times when people were taking themselves too seriously a Technical Bulletin describing a new procedure or a change to an existing one, or a memorandum announcing a new policy would circulate. Most of these announcements and bulletins started out sounding believable enough. They all appeared on official Division of Data Processing letterhead, but burried somewhere inside of each one was a punch-line or zinger that left co-workers scratching their heads or laughing out loud and caused a few managers to fall out of their high chairs.

Sometimes was difficult to tell whether these changes or announcements were true, but they never were because Jack Packard was a fictious employee. As the ledgend goes, the first time Jerry & company enlisted the help of Jack Packard in signing off on one of these memos Jack didn't have a last name, so they looked around the room and noticed a big old clunky (it was the 80's after all) Hewlett Packard plotter. Yes, apparently Jack is the nephew of Hewlett.

Like some real government employees it was hard to tell if Jack really worked there or not. And, as with other real employees, ther bigger concern was that maybe he really DID work there. Someone in mnagement once became concerned enough about the rumors of a fictious employee and the Security guys that a REAL memorandum was circulated announcing the requirment that each employee pick up their pay check in person and sign for it. (This was before the days of auto-deposit.)

Jack had to lie-low for a while but, again like some real State Employees, he would show up for work occasionally and perform his duty of giving fellow employees a reality check. In spite of increased scrutiny concerning Jack's activities, somehow, his name was submitted with a list of real employees receiving service awards and Jack's 5 year certificate was signed by the real governor.

Years later, when all employees were required to wear ID badges with photos, Jack Packard was even able to get one of those. It was a stunning photo of Jack and really revealed his true nature.

He was a happy guy.

On August 11, 1999 I returned to work from my lunch break and while I was away I had received this classic voice mail from Jerry:

"Bart, it's Jerry.  I'm standing on my front porch and there's a TORNADO hitting the Delta Center...    NO SHIT!!!"
I'm sure he added the emphasis to make sure I understood such a rare occurrence was really happening in down town Salt Lake City.  Anyway, it made me take notice.  

He knew how to get his point across.  I wish I had saved the audio.

A couple of years ago, when walking up one of the washes on the land behind my house, Jerry and I with our dogs ran across a “chair”  made with a bunch of flat rocks. We enjoyed many hikes on the land and going up to the chair, which I now call "Jerry's chair".  Yesterday,  Apricot along with her dog buddies, Lucy and Daisy, took a hike up to Jerry's chair. They all seemed to remember it, and for me, it was great - fond memories of exploring new and familiar places with Jerry.

Every time we came through St. George we would stop and visit Jerry.  This was in Aug. 2014 on our way to a concert and to Zion National Park.

My husband Randy and I only knew Jerry for about a year but I was taken by his kind, gentle way with people and dogs. We joined the dogfriends hiking group so that we could meet people that loved both- hiking and dogs. Jerry was a true leader, gathering people together and shepherding the group on awesome hikes. He always made you feel welcome and a part of the group. As newcomers to the area it was a fun way to meet people (and their dogs) and enjoy the beauty of Utah. I hope that the group will continue as I believe Jerry would want that and it would honor his memory.  Colette Szczesny

I met Jerry in January of 2014 on a dog hike, and I liked everything about him right away. He listened when you talked, and when he talked, he chose his words well. He was so relaxed and ready with a smile that welcomed you into his open mind. Many of us got to share in the goodness that he radiated. I will treasure the time I spent with him, walking along a hiking trail talking about life, sitting around a picnic table keeping him company and playing Scrabble while others hiked and he convalesced from foot surgery. And mostly I cherish the one-on-one he spent with me while building my storage shed. His intellect was sharp and his heart was wholesome, and he was a good human being to all. Although my job kept me away from too many outings, he became my best male pal in my new state of residence. I will miss you my friend, I will miss you. Lynn

I met Jerry a few months after moving to So. Utah after I joined his Dog Friends hiking group. He was very likable and I watched as it seemed that he walked and talked with everyone at some point on the trail. Sometimes I would look for him and he and Apricot would be off in the distance taking photos of all of us, or perhaps he was crouched down near wildflowers and shrubs focusing his camera on something interesting. I’ve ridden with him in his big old white truck when he’d have to explore a dirt road or stop to jump out and take a few photos. Because of his willingness to share his love of outdoors exploring, he brought together a group of individuals that soon became good friends and some of which my husband and I spend time with outside of the hiking group in which one of those was, of course, Jerry. You are missed Jerry and will be remembered as we retrace our steps on some of your favorite trails!

Jerry was such a kind, loving, thoughtful man; I am honored to have had him as a dear friend. One of my favorite memories of Jerry will always be the year he decided I needed a freshly cut tree for our Christmas celebration. So four of us set out to find the perfect tree, cut it down, get it home and set it up - no small endeavor for a 13 foot tree!  I also cherish the memory of Jerry constantly stopping during our hikes to get down on the ground to take a picture of a flower or bug that had caught his eye. But my greatest of pleasures is to have introduced him to Nancy, his true soulmate and love. I will forever be thankful these two dear people had these past few years to be together.

I met Jerry when I moved to southwest Utah in the summer of 2014. It didn't take long before it seemed like we had known each other for so many more years than the calendar showed.

We quickly learned that we had many intersts in common - hiking, camping, dogs, taking photos, exploring new places, a never ending curiosity about the world, music, laughing, a healthy lifestyle, and living each day to its fullest - to name a few. We took many driving trips to the mountains and the desert. We went to many beautiful spots in the mountains across Utah that he knew and loved, we enjoyed scouting out new trails and fun picnic spots here and there, and even once drove across the central Colorado mountain range to pick up a new puppy, Miss Daisy.
 
Our paths crossed for only a few years, and for me, that time enriched my life in ways I never dreamed possible. Jerry, thank you for being you and for sharing a part of your life with me!    

It's been an interesting 33 years, hasn't it?

That was Jerry's response to me when I wrote to him on July 18, reminding him of the day we began working together. I met Jerry my first day on the job July, 18, 1983. We shared an office most of the time from 1987 until he retired in April, 2002 at the age of 60. (The day this photo was taken.)

While we worked together on computer security we had many other interesting adventures outside of the work environment. I kept up with the news of Jerry's many projects, including purchasing and re-habilitating an old 5-plex apartment building on Capitol Hill where he lived for a time, then another duplex that he also moved into. There was also another very old house he purchased next to the 5-plex that he did a lot of work on.

Politics was an area that Jerry and I seemed to approach from different angles, but almost always came together on as I ran for office twice and directed other political efforts around the state he always gave me another set of eyes to look at things through.

Jerry was a great co-worker but even a better friend and after his retirement we shared many more experiences and interests; Hiking, scouting, backpacking, construction projects, car repairs, building and maintaining computers... Jerry and I were able to compare notes as we each spent time working with our sons in the Boy Scouts.

I enjoyed visiting Jerry in St. George and going to lunch with him or hiking around Dameron Valley with him and his children almost every month for several years. He was a dedicated dog friend and took the responsibility of having a dog seriously. Spending time throwing the tennis ball for Apricot to retrieve and giving her all the exercise she needed, then organizing a group of dog friends to keep Apricot and himself company ont many many hikes.

You could always count on Jerry for an intelligent conversation on whatever topic came up and he had a unique way of solving the annoying problems of our modern society. We would create an imaginary society on a remote island and introduce the different parties then decide how we could solve the problems civilly, without government regulation.

We shared our joys, heartaches, and life challenges, our projects, and humor over email almost every day and on the phone at least weekly.

Lelia and I had a wonderful visit with him last Thursday at his home in St. George. I knew it would be our last visit. This is a happy day for Jerry, as he is free of his pain, but a sad day for us as we will miss his friendship, his kindness, his wisdom, and his patience.

I look forward to the day when Jerry and I will meet again. We can share everything we have done and learned, laugh at all of our mistakes, and maybe even solve a few of the problems of the universe.

Please say a prayer for Jerry McLall and his loved ones and his family.