Gerald Lee Duerksen's Obituary
Gerald "Jerry" Duerksen, 80 of Corydon, passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 in Corydon, Iowa.
Gerald Lee Duerksen was born on September 30, 1941 to Albert and Lydia (Koehn) Duerksen in Bridgewater, South Dakota. He graduated from Bridgewater High School in 1959. Jerry went on to earn a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He worked for many years in that field, retiring in 2018 after 19 years working for Voltmaster and East Penn.
He married Janice Joy Ludington in 1963. The couple had five children. Jerry loved God wholeheartedly. He led family devotions every night, often ending with the family singing the Lord's Prayer. Jerry enjoyed bicycling, painting, fishing, music, singing and photography. He climbed Mt. Hood, skied, and went on beach, canoe, hunting and fishing trips with family and friends.
Left to cherish Jerry's memory is his wife Janice Duerksen, his children Joel Duerksen (Elizabeth), Jill Fletcher (Brian), Jordan Duerksen, Jamie Duerksen (Kimberly), and Julie Lehman (Timothy), his 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, brother Jackie Duerksen (Sharlene), brother Larry Duerksen (Diana), sister LuAnn Vogel (Ron), brother Loren Duerksen (Marcia), and his dog Duke. He is preceded in death by his parents, sister Jeanne Duerksen, brother James Duerksen, sister JoAnn Tschetter, and infant sister Lois Duerksen.
The funeral service for Jerry will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 6, 2021 at the Corydon United Methodist Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to service, from 1:00 - 2:00 PM. Interment will take place next week in Texas. Memorials may be given to the family and condolences can be shared at www.thomasfh.com or www.facebook.com/thomasfuneralhome.
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