Jerry Taylor

Jerry Lee Taylor, 82, of Chariton, passed away on Tuesday, January 30, 2024. Services will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Chariton. Family will receive friends an hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorials may be made in Jerry’s name to the Chariton Volunteer Fire Department or Pin Oak Marsh.

Jerry Lee Taylor was born on September 9, 1941, to Earl Marvin and Della Mae (Alexander) Taylor in Chariton, Iowa. 

Jerry started school at Harmony Country School and after eighth grade, went to Chariton High School where he graduated with the class of 1959. After graduation, he started working for the Bob Stone Cordage Company. Jerry loved driving a truck over the road for Bob Stone.

Jerry was united in marriage to Margery Jeanne Teater in 1966. The couple was blessed with two children, Marvin Jay and Jennifer Nicole. The family moved to the family farm in 1969 after Jerry’s father passed away. They lived and worked together on the farm for thirty years before moving into Chariton in 2002.

In 1965, Jerry went to work in the Hy-Vee warehouse. In 1977, he began working for the USDA and worked there as a field man. He and his friend Willard also stayed busy taking aerial photos of farm ground to measure the crops. He then became the County Executive Director in Wayne County in 1990. Jerry retired in 2003. 

In retirement, Jerry and Jeanne enjoyed traveling. They wintered in Florida for two years and in Texas for eight years. Jerry looked forward to working at the Iowa State Fair every summer for many years. 

Jerry also stayed active in his community; acting as president of the Lucas County Antique Tractor Club, serving on the Historic Preservation Commission, working at Pin Oak Lodge, and volunteering at the Chariton Community Center.

Jerry is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jeanne Taylor; daughter, Jennifer (Chuck) Graves; grandchildren: Tommy (Taylor) Graves, Tyler (Sabrina) Graves, Ashley (Kody) Gee, Aaron (Morganne) Graves, Austin Gee, and Alison (Mekail) Gee; great grandchildren: Carter, Ella, Carson, Kinzlee, Brantley, Kaleb, Remington, and Ruby Rose; and in-laws: Earnestine Hysell, Jane Wilson, Pearl and Norma Teater, and Joy and John Pierce. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Mae Taylor; son, Jay Taylor; great granddaughter, Paetton Canfield; and in-laws: Georgia and Wayne Cummings, Alyce and Kenny Williams, Harold Hysell, and Ray Wilson.