Gerald Edgar Rhoades JR.

   Gerald Edgar Rhoades, was born at his grandparent’s home on January 1st, 1972, to Violet Rhoades in Brush Prairie, WA, the first child to be born in Clark County of that year. Local school children sent baby Gerald welcome letters. He died September 19, 2024 in his motorhome in Vancouver, WA, at the age of 52.

    Jerry lived most of his life in Clark County, WA, homeschooling for his early education and then passing the GED with flying colors. He was smart, inquisitive, quick-witted, and wrote well. He was pursuing higher education but due to life struggles, he could not continue. He attended the Apostolic Lutheran Church in Hockinson as a child but left “religion” behind and simply believed by faith that Jesus died on the cross for his sins and that he was born again. He was confident that when his time was up, he was ready to meet his Maker. 

   When Jerry was 16 years old, he bought a small airplane and put in many hours of training to get his private pilot's license. He loved to take his plane up and fly through the skies. Jerry worked at a multitude of jobs but mostly in construction: building decks, installing garage doors, doing concrete work and underlayment. He was an artist in everything he did. He paid attention to details, worked hard, and was a master carpenter. He wasn't scared of animals, housing a menagerie of exotic creatures in his home, including two cougars, a serval, and an alligator. Jerry was a “foodie” and liked to create delicious dishes, sharing pictures on FB of what he was cooking up and enticing us all. He knew pain, and identified with sorrow, presenting to the world a tough exterior, but underneath that hard shell, he was a “softie”, kind and caring to those he let in.

   Jerry was preceded in death by his “papa” Gerald Edgar Rhoades who died before Jerry was born, his maternal grandparents Einar and Angie Stenersen, his paternal grandparents, Chris and Glenn Rhoades, granddaughter Crystal Rhoades and many relatives who have passed on before him. He is survived by his mother, Violet (Stenersen) Rhoades, of Greer, SC, his son, Gerald William Rhoades, of Vancouver, WA,  sister Glenda and Ken Howard, of Chino Valley, AZ, nephews Adrian of Tokyo, Japan, Christopher and Zell of Portland, OR, numerous aunts, uncles, and hundreds of cousins. 

A funeral service for Jerry will be held at: Church on the Rock 

500 SW Eaton Blvd 

Battle Ground, WA, 98604 

Sunday, September 29th, 2024, 5:00 pm Dinner following