Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Jerry was the second child of Paul Larson (aka Jerome Stevenson) and Nina Triller. As a child, Jerry loved playing with his dog, Muggs, and pretending to be Superman. On Saturdays, he would often visit the movie house paying $0.05 for a ticket to see the talkies on screen. His summers were spent swinging on vines, diving into the local river and playing sandlot baseball games with friends at any place they could create a make-shift field. His nickname was “cottontail” as a kid because his hair was as white as a rabbit.

Nina was the bedrock of the family. Having earned a college degree in Iowa, she worked as an Executive Administrative Assistant at Acme Steel to support her four children, Paula, Jerry, David, and Kathy. Jerry picked up on her great work ethic, which carried over to everything he did in life. At 18, he graduated from Lincoln High School in Des Moines and followed his older sister, Paula, to the sunny state of California. At the age of 23, in 1958, he was conscripted to the US Army where he served 2 years and was honorably discharged. He liked to tell stories of having been at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (and other army bases) as a squad leader with two other men, one of whom was John Shalikavshvili, who later became the 13th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serving under President Bill Clinton. Once discharged in 1958, he returned to Los Angeles, where he attended night classes at Los Angeles City College and received his Associates of Arts degree while also working for IBM. It was there he met a good friend and colleague in Dean Nelson. Eventually, they both left IBM and started their own business together in typewriters and later in computer networking serving small and medium sized businesses.

Jerry’s friendships with Lincoln High School buddies included Shirley and Bill McKibben, and Jughead who was in the army with him. They all stayed in touch through the years until the end, Jerry being the last to go.

He met the woman he was destined to marry, Angelica Remus, by way of a blind date set up by her sister, Ilda and her then husband, Malcolm. The two hit it off and three months later were married on December 28, 1968. They initially lived in Los Feliz, but eventually moved to the ‘burbs where they purchased their first home in La Cañada on Alcorn Drive. In 1973, they welcomed their daughter, Karina Stevenson (Fedasz), followed by their son, Todd Stevenson in 1974.

Karina and Todd were fortunate to be raised by this man of quiet strength and selflessness. He was a man who came from humble means, and thus, always made sure his family had what they needed and then some. Fond memories of him playing monster are etched in their minds and included jumping on the bed, hide and seek, and other silly made up games where laughter and giggling were a part of the play. He often took the family to the Colorado River for water skiing and motocross, and some of Karina and Todd’s older cousins distinctly remember him being famous for taking off from the shore saying “hit it" as he flicked a cigarette from his hand. As the kids grew older, he spent time making pancakes, helping with homework and reviewing flashcards, taking the kids to arcades and bowling, coaching sports, and enjoying pizza parties after Karina’s and Todd’s games. Jerry enjoyed fishing with Todd and was known to charter recreational fishing boats for his colleagues (with young Todd in tow) where they would sail offshore from Point Loma, San Diego for several days in pursuit of albacore tuna. He always made himself available to the kids and their friends and would cart them around town hauling their bikes, skateboards, scooters, roller skates and other items from one house to the next in the giant green Suburban, which was later painted dark brown.

Jerry retired at the young age of 65 in late 2000. One of the first things he and Angelica chose to do was live in Italy in early-to-mid 2001. They rented a home right near the Ponte Vecchio across the river from Uffizi Gallery. Angelica took Italian lessons while Jerry learned to shop at the farmers markets by pointing at things and smiling. Having never even learned Spanish – save for baño, cerveza and gracias – he wasn’t about to learn Italian. But he made do traveling on the buses to get around town coming home with lots of fresh garden vegetables and meats.

Aside from Italy, in their 55 years of marriage, Jerry and Angelica found enjoyment in travel and visited 40+ other countries, took 20+ cruises together and met many great friends along the way like Dennis & Diane, Bill & Cooky and Jerry & Shelly. Safaris were a highlight of their travels, with a trip to Zambia a favorite where Jerry and Angelica relished in the beauty of the fauna and flora. In fact, they were able to see lions, water buffalo, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus, rhinos, and many more. Along the Zambezi River bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe, Jerry delighted in seeing the majesty of Victoria Falls. Other ports of call of note were Alaska, where pictures show him with a large grin truly appreciating the wildlife – bears, birds, whales – and the awesome glaciers, and a memorable trip to New Zealand and Australia where he and Angelica spent time with Todd and his wife for New Years Y2K.

Never a man for show, Jerry found respite in quieter pursuits such as gardening, where he cultivated a lovely backyard full of roses, agapanthus, gardenias, among others that were enjoyed by all while he and Angelica lived in La Cañada. In Fredericksburg, he tended to his lemon trees and pear trees, and built a swing for his grandsons to enjoy. He was an avid coin collector with a special affinity for the Walking Liberty Half Dollar and commemorative quarter series from the Philadelphia and Denver mints. Jerry was a mastercraft woodworker, acquiring many power tools and saws during his retirement to design and build beautiful furniture such as end tables, a coffee table, a jewelry cabinet, and a butcher's block.

He was thrilled to see his family expand, with in-laws Stephani Kobayashi and Stephen Fedasz IV. He was proud grandfather to Takeo, Zane, Dax and Wrenn, and happily adopted his nickname “Fafa” as christened by Zane. He is also survived by his many nephews and nieces whom he adored.

In the last several months, Jerry experienced deterioration in quality of life. He underwent two open heart surgeries in 2023, the placement of a lung catheter, and finally a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's b-cell lymphoma. His body was failing him and every step became an effort.

All the above is nothing compared to Jerry’s character. His loyalty, integrity, quiet strength, generosity, and deep kindness leave an indelible mark on those of us graced to have known him. Not a day will go by without us thinking of him. Not a day will go by without us missing him. May he now rest in peace.

After a private viewing held on Wednesday, February 7th, Jerry was cremated. In lieu of flowers, Jerry requested that gifts can be made to Wounded Warrior Project: 4899 Belfort Road Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256.

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