Gerald "Jerry" Bredthauer

Gerald Wayne Bredthauer, best known as Jerry to family and friends, passed away peacefully at his home in Murray, Kentucky on Thursday, May 19 at the age of 71. He was a longtime resident of Wilmington, Illinois and had been a guidance counselor in the Wilmington school system for 25 years when he retired in 1995.

Born January 24, 1940 in North Loup, Nebraska, Jerry was the third of five children born to the late Alvin Bredthauer and Arlene Eyerly Bredthauer. He grew up on the Bredthauer family farm northeast of Scotia, Nebraska until moving to the Eyerly family farm in Algonquin, Illinois. He attended school in Scotia, Nebraska, spending only his last year of high school in Illinois before graduating from Dundee High School in 1958. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Northern Illinois University in 1963 and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Memphis in 1966. He held teaching and counseling certifications and was a teacher and guidance counselor for 31 years. He greatly enjoyed his profession and working with students and their families. Jerry was a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

On April 30, 1966, he was united in marriage with Joyce Marie Gore in Springfield, Illinois. Having met in college, Jerry and Joyce were together over 45 years. They lived in Wilmington, Illinois for almost 40 years before retiring to Murray, Kentucky in 2009. He was the proud and beloved father of Jennifer Lyn Bredthauer and father-in-law to Michael Aaron Vanhook. Jerry loved being with his family and friends, the outdoors, gardening, and taking long walks with his miniature schnauzer Sparky. Jerry was very interested in genealogy and had thoroughly researched the ancestry of all the branches of his family. He documented these histories in family books and photographs that he continuously updated and distributed to family members. His efforts united members of the family that were previously unknown, provided enjoyment to many, and will stand as a lasting contribution to all his descendents.

Jerry will be forever remembered by his wife, Joyce Bredthauer of Murray, Kentucky; daughter Jennifer Bredthauer Vanhook and husband Michael of Calera, Alabama; three sisters, Phyllis Harwood, Sandra Gielow and husband, Bruce, and Betty Panepucci and husband, Craig, all of Elgin, Illinois; and one brother, Jim Bredthauer and wife, Pera of Belvidere, Illinois; an aunt, Dorothy Bogaard of Sun City Center, Florida; sister-in-law, Shirley Gore Rhodes of Springfield, Illinois; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; along with countless other friends and family who have had the privilege of knowing him. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents Alvin and Arlene Bredthauer; his father- and mother-in-law, Leland and Marie Gore; and by brothers-in-law, Thomas Harwood and Bill Gore.

Jerry touched the lives of many people with his perpetual smile, easy laughter, kindness, sincerity and compassion. He maintained his sense of humor and optimism until the end. Wishing to be remembered in happiness and health, Jerry has been cremated with interment at a later date. Friends and family are invited to attend a visitation on Saturday, June 18, 2011 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at R.W. Patterson Funeral Home, 401 East Main Street, Braidwood, Illinois, 60408. A memorial service officiated by his cousin, Reverend Don Bredthauer of Omaha, Nebraska will immediately follow. Everyone is invited to a 1:00 pm reception at the Wilmington Moose Lodge Family Center, 32050 West River Road, Wilmington, Illinois, 60481.

Memorial donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, 3140 Parisa Drive, Paducah, Kentucky, 42003, the Melanoma Research Foundation at www.melanoma.org or any charity of choice. Online condolences may be made at www.thejhchurchillfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are handled by the J.H. Churchill Funeral Home in Murray, Kentucky and the R.W. Patterson Funeral Home in Braidwood, Illinois.