Gerald L. Wilson

SIOUX CITY| Gerald Lee Jerry' Wilson, 92, of Sioux City died Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 at Sunrise Retirement Community. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015 at Riverside Lutheran Church with Pastor Tim Squier officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Monday with the family present 6-8 p.m. and a prayer service at 7p.m. at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel, 6200 Morningside Ave. Condolences may be sent online at www.meyerbroschapels.com. Jerry was born Sept. 16, 1922 in Bethel, Ohio, the son of Ora Lee and Eva (Bare) Wilson. In infancy, he lost his dad. He grew up on a farm where they grew tobacco. He graduated from Carlisle Ohio High School in 1940. Jerry was a veteran of WW ll, serving with the U.S. Army Air Forces in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater with the rank of Staff Sergeant, flying in B17 and B29 as an engineer. On July 15, 1944 he married Mardella Belding at Riverside Lutheran Church in Sioux City. After his discharge from the Army in 1946, Jerry returned to Ohio for a couple years and worked assembling cash registers for NCR in Dayton, Ohio. Then moved to Sioux City where he ran a gas station, drove an oil truck, then started selling Mack trucks and later started Sioux City Truck Sales dealership in 1954 selling Diamond T and Mack trucks. In 1964 he began selling Peterbilt trucks and later expanded to Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Sioux Falls, and Davenport. After 44 years he semi-retired. He also was the former owner of Airways Service and a former member of the Board of First Interstate Bank. Jerry was a licensed private pilot who loved to fly and owned many planes over the years, his favorite was his Aerostar. He also liked to fish and hunt, spent time in Arizona in the winter and going to the Lake in Minnesota in the summer. He enjoyed being outdoors running his tractor. He was a longtime member of Riverside Lutheran Church. He served as president of the congregation at the time the present sanctuary was built. Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Mardella; 2 sons and their wives, Gerald Butch' and Carmella Candy' Wilson of Sioux Falls, SD and Bradley and Wanda of Sioux City; a grandson, Troy (Monica) and their 3 children, Brittany, Brooke, and Brendon of Renner, SD; 4 granddaughters, Tracey (Ben) Surbeck and their children, Mary and Andrew of Boise, ID; Amanda (Gunnar) Gunderson of Minneapolis; Stephanie (Cody) Kumm and their children, Braden and Ian of Sioux City; Katelyn Wilson of Sioux City; one sister-in-law, Pamela and her husband Bob Cottrell of Parker, SD; a brother-in-law, Danny Caster of Sioux City; a brother, Estel Mears of Dayton, OH; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Ora Wilson, mother and step-father, Eva and Raymond Mears, in-laws, Harry and Mabel Belding, 3 brothers-in-law, Dennis, Harold and Harry Belding and his wife, Joan and sister-in-law Connie Caster. Pallbearers will be grandchildren.