Obituary for Gerald "Jerry" F. Burds
Gerald F. “Jerry” Burds, 73, of 3032 Pennsylvania Avenue, Dubuque, died Saturday, August 3, 2019 at Shady Rest Care Center, Cascade. following a courageous battle with leukemia.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 7, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Fr. Steven Rosonke will officiate. Burial will be in St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Centralia. Friends may call from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 6, at Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Westview Funeral Home and Crematory, 2659 John F. Kennedy Road, where there will be a parish wake service, time to be announced.
Jerry was born on June 29, 1946, in Cascade, son of Mary (Carroll) Burds and John “Jay” Burds, Sr. He graduated from Aquin High School, Cascade, in 1965.
He married Patricia A. “Pat” McAleer on June 21, 1969, in Monticello. Pat and Jerry enjoyed forty wonderful years of marriage prior to Pat’s death in 2009.
Jerry worked for Northwestern Bell and US West for 31 years, retiring in 1999. During his retirement, he was a courtesy driver for Anderson-Weber Toyota Lincoln.
He was a member at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
Jerry enjoyed watching the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Green Bay Packers, and NASCAR. During his retirement, he restored a 1952 John Deere Model A tractor similar to the one used on his childhood farm. He enjoyed driving his tractor each summer in the WMT Tractorcade. He also took annual fishing trips to Canada with friends from the Telephone Company. Jerry loved driving his Mustang to Ankeny to visit his grandchildren for their birthdays and holidays. He and Pat will be remembered for their hospitality and making their home a welcoming place for friends and family to relax and have fun.
Surviving are his two sons, Stephen (Colin) Burds, of Ankeny, and Kevin Burds, of Sandpoint, Idaho; four grandchildren, Annika, Maya, Calleigh, and Nicholas Burds, all of Ankeny; three siblings, Joan (Phil) Weber, Colleen Bertinetti, and Will (Kathy) Burds; and in-laws Janice Curoe, Jan McAleer, Joe (Shelly) McAleer, Steve (Marlene) McAleer, Dan (Sally) McAleer, Mary Jo Roller, and Kathy (Dan) Reyner.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Pat; his parents, Jay and Mary Burds; his oldest brother, Jack Burds; a sister-in-law, Joyce Curoe; and brother-in-laws, Bob Curoe, John Curoe, and Tom McAleer.
A Gerald Burds Memorial Fund has been established.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 7, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Fr. Steven Rosonke will officiate. Burial will be in St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Centralia. Friends may call from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 6, at Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Westview Funeral Home and Crematory, 2659 John F. Kennedy Road, where there will be a parish wake service, time to be announced.
Jerry was born on June 29, 1946, in Cascade, son of Mary (Carroll) Burds and John “Jay” Burds, Sr. He graduated from Aquin High School, Cascade, in 1965.
He married Patricia A. “Pat” McAleer on June 21, 1969, in Monticello. Pat and Jerry enjoyed forty wonderful years of marriage prior to Pat’s death in 2009.
Jerry worked for Northwestern Bell and US West for 31 years, retiring in 1999. During his retirement, he was a courtesy driver for Anderson-Weber Toyota Lincoln.
He was a member at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
Jerry enjoyed watching the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Green Bay Packers, and NASCAR. During his retirement, he restored a 1952 John Deere Model A tractor similar to the one used on his childhood farm. He enjoyed driving his tractor each summer in the WMT Tractorcade. He also took annual fishing trips to Canada with friends from the Telephone Company. Jerry loved driving his Mustang to Ankeny to visit his grandchildren for their birthdays and holidays. He and Pat will be remembered for their hospitality and making their home a welcoming place for friends and family to relax and have fun.
Surviving are his two sons, Stephen (Colin) Burds, of Ankeny, and Kevin Burds, of Sandpoint, Idaho; four grandchildren, Annika, Maya, Calleigh, and Nicholas Burds, all of Ankeny; three siblings, Joan (Phil) Weber, Colleen Bertinetti, and Will (Kathy) Burds; and in-laws Janice Curoe, Jan McAleer, Joe (Shelly) McAleer, Steve (Marlene) McAleer, Dan (Sally) McAleer, Mary Jo Roller, and Kathy (Dan) Reyner.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Pat; his parents, Jay and Mary Burds; his oldest brother, Jack Burds; a sister-in-law, Joyce Curoe; and brother-in-laws, Bob Curoe, John Curoe, and Tom McAleer.
A Gerald Burds Memorial Fund has been established.