Gerald "Jerry" Walkowiak

Gerald “Jerry” Walkowiak, born July 1, 1937, passed away in the early morning of Sunday, January 22, 2023 with his family by his side.

He is survived by his wife Marjorie Walkowiak of Evergreen, CO, his daughter Lynn Morphew and her husband Jim of Parker, CO, and his two granddaughters Lauren and Megan Morphew. He is also survived by his sister Elaine Witters of Troy, MI (Larry) and several beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Fern Bell and Stanley Walkowiak.

Jerry was born and raised in Bay City, Michigan. He joined the Marine Corp in 1957 and spent most of his duty in Okinawa, Japan. After his commitment ended in 1959, he returned to Bay City, Michigan and began working for Dow Chemical. During his career he also earned his bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University.

In 1963 Jerry married his childhood crush Marjorie “Marji” Wisniewski. Jerry and Marji welcomed their only child Lynn in 1968 and moved to Auburn, MI. Jerry was involved with the Auburn Jaycees and met so many wonderful friends through this organization that have remained friends so many years later. In 1980 he was transferred to Denver, CO with Dow Chemical. Subsequent moves took Jerry and his family to Walnut Creek, CA and Houston, TX before relocating back to Midland, MI in 1988. Jerry continued to work for Dow Chemical until retiring in 1993. Jerry and Marji found their way back to Colorado in 1994 and settled in Evergreen, a picturesque town in the foothills outside of Denver where they have lived since.

Jerry and Marji had a beautiful life together and built a small close-knit family, which was Jerry’s priority. Jerry loved deeply, which is especially true regarding his daughter Lynn and her family. Jerry and Lynn had a very close relationship and Lynn considered him to be her hero, and when she married Jim, Jerry welcomed him to the family as a son. Jerry’s most favorite role in life was being Grampy to Lauren and Megan – “his girls”. He took every opportunity he could to spend time with them, and especially loved taking them to Colorado Rockies baseball games where he would buy them dippin’ dots and popcorn.

Jerry lived his life in Colorado to the fullest and had many passions that filled his time. He was an usher for the Colorado Rockies for over 20 years, where he earned the honor of being usher of the year. Many of the season ticket holders considered Jerry their friend and looked forward to seeing him every year. Visiting ball players and staff came to him for tootsie rolls, and he loved to put his friends and their families on the “Jumbotron”. When Jerry wasn’t at a baseball game, he could be found hunting ducks and geese with his beloved dog Jena. Jerry was a member of the Evergreen, CO chapter of Ducks Unlimited, where he enjoyed attending the meetings and helping to plan the fundraising banquets. For several years Jerry marshalled at the Pebble Beach Pro Am, eventually becoming a hole captain and recruiting a team full of friends to participate with him. Jerry looked forward to the tournament that took place every February to spend time with his lifelong buddies and the people he would meet every year. They say, “once a Marine, always a Marine” and Jerry kept this in his heart. He was so proud to share that he had been in the Marine Corps, and never passed up an opportunity to say “hello” and share stories with someone that was wearing a hat or jacket with an armed forces emblem. Jerry was a member of “Coopers Troopers”, an organization with members representing all branches of the armed forces. Jerry looked forward to attending their monthly luncheons and never scheduled an appointment, no matter how important, if it interfered with his being able to go to these events. Jerry was always one to keep in touch with his friends, old and new.

The young and old referred to him by the nickname “Uncle Jerry”. He lit up any room he entered and everyone he interacted with was immediately taken by his smile and his magnetic personality. He had a zest for life and wanted to immerse himself in every experience he was offered. Jerry never let an opportunity pass by to compliment someone, shake a hand, or simply try to make someone’s day. He will be greatly missed by so many.

A memorial celebration will be held in Colorado on May 20th, 2023, which will be live streamed for friends and family that aren’t able to attend. Please reach out to Jerry’s daughter, Lynn Morphew, at lamorphew@outlook.com for more information.