Gerald "Jerry" Jay Howerter

Gerald “Jerry” Jay Howerter, age 88, of Lodgepole, NE passed away at Pathways Hospice in Fort Collins, CO on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Graveside services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, March 20, 2026, at the Pleasant View Cemetery in Lodgepole, NE.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Chappell Senior Center at 245 Matlock Box 241, Chappell, NE 69129, in the memo put Jerry Howerter. The senior meals kept Jerry nourished for the last many months of his life.

Friends may stop by the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel to leave their condolences for the family. You may view Jerry’s Book of Memories, leave condolences, photos and stories at www.gehrigstittchapel.com.

Gehrig-Stitt Chapel & Cremation Service, LLC is in charge of Jerry’s care and funeral arrangements.

Jerry was born on the family farm southwest of Lodgepole on May 22, 1937, to Donald and Matilda Howerter. His father Don and several siblings were also born in the same house. During his younger years, Jerry’s parents moved around the country, living in Denver, CO, Cozad, NE and Torrington, WY before moving back to the family farm in 1947. One year later the wanderlust of his parents found Jerry and his sister Donna living in Los Angeles for a year before coming back to the farm to settle.

     He helped his father with general farm work for many years, and he graduated from Lodgepole High School in 1955. He had decided his future was to fly in the Air Force and attempted to attend the Air Force Academy, but an unknown disqualification of color blindness derailed that desire forever.

   After a full year of working on the farm Jerry left in the fall of 1956 to attend engineering college at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  He obtained his engineering degree in 1961 and began his professional career at the National Reactor Testing Station near Idaho Falls, ID. He married in 1963 and over the next nine years had three daughters Caryl, Wendy and Kimberly.

   In 1967, Jerry and his family moved from Idaho to Denver, and he began a new career as a sales engineer, calling on industrial accounts in Denver and southern and western Colorado. Over the next 30 years with various companies, he traveled and sold products in Colorado and surrounding states.

   Sales calls in the area as well as sales training and meetings meant a fair amount of traveling, and in 1997 Jerry had managed to visit all 48 states in the contiguous U.S. By 2007 Jerry had also visited Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico and made trips to Canada.

   He retired in 2005 from his last professional job while living in Albuquerque NM. He moved back to Nebraska and took over the family home in Lodgepole.

Jerry enjoyed traveling and seeing new areas of the country. He took Amtrack rail excursions around the U.S. and two cruise trips: One to Alaska and one to Hawaii. He also enjoyed fishing, boating, gardening, woodworking and watching television.

   Jerry is survived by his daughters Caryl and husband Jeff Fank of Parsons, KS, Wendy and husband Rich Tucciarone of Steamboat Springs, CO, and Kimberly Howerter of Kyle, TX; sister Donna and husband Jim Haugland of Sutherland, NE; five grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father Donald and mother Matilda, and his sister Vicki.