1/19/1942-1/15/2017
Jerald passed away on January 15 in St Petersburg, Florida after 115 courageous days battling cancer. He was just four days short of his 75th birthday.
Born the second child to Walter and Arlene Biedermann in Iola, WI, Jerry always lived his life “his way”. He grew up playing kick the can in the summer and sledding down main street in the winter with his two younger brothers, Dennis (Judy) Biedermann and Keith (Karen) Biedermann, while being carefully watched over by his older sister, Audrey (Tom) Koch. Rhumatic Fever at an early age caused him to forego any chance at playing sports and resulted in a lifetime of heart problems. In kindergarten Jerry met David Johnson, the two remained best friends through life; talking sometimes several times a day until his death. After graduation Jerry left for the Navy, serving two years followed by another four years in the reserves, he then returned back to Iola, where his uncle Jim taught him to be an electrician; a career that stayed with him to his retirement. In 1965 he married Betty Lou Hansen, they moved to Wausau and raised three children, Karen (Brian) Czechowicz, Paul Biedermann and Ellen (Robert) Lewis. He started attending AA in 1980 and continued to be active and attend meetings until he no longer could physically leave his house. Heart surgery in 1984 resulted in an artificial heart valve being installed; you could literally hear his heart ticking! Jerald enjoyed watching the Green Bay Packers, Nascar and he inherited his love of fishing from his “Big” Grandma Biedermann. Twice divorced and retired, Jerry spent 10 years back in Iola re-connecting with his rural roots; he enjoyed going to the Iola airport on Fridays to watch the airplanes come in and to share a delicious meal with friends. With his health starting to fail, Jerry moved to Florida in 2014 to be closer to his children, grandchildren and to enjoy a laid back “SaltLife” with his Florida Beckland relatives. Bringing his coveted boat down with him, Jerry enjoyed his final years cruising the many miles of shoreline and multiple inland lakes to locate that “perfect fishing spot”. Jerry quietly took his last breath shortly after watching the Green Bay Packers defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional playoff game on January 15th. Jerry was known for his bright blue eyes, his plaid button up shirts – always with a pocket (because a shirt isn’t worth keeping without a pocket,) his wicked “devil” grin and always living life “his way”.
A memorial service will be held at Veterans Memorial Park in Iola on Tuesday, August 1st at 1:00 p.m.