The Rosary Service for Gerald "Jerry" Heier, age 85, longtime Lemmon businessman, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2015 followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. all at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Lemmon. Fr. Tony Grossenburg will officiate and burial with military honors will be in the Greenhill Cemetery.

Gerald "Jerry" Heier was the 1st born of 3 boys to Henry and Rose (Oster) Heier in Selby, SD on March 4th, 1929.


Jerry attended school in Morristown until enlisting in the service as a paratrooper with the 11th Parachute Maintenance Company in Japan. He was the supervisor of 6 men while working as a parachute rigger.


When he returned 2 years later, he was working in Morristown when he was hired to clerk at the Coast to Coast store in Lemmon. This was Lemmon's Ball Clubs way of recruiting him to play 1st base and short stop. At 26 years old he was scouted by the Chicago White Sox, but their minds were changed when they found out his age.


After meeting Lucille Fitzgerald at a dance in Keldron, they were later married in 1950. In 1957, they became the owners of Our Own Hardware. With the kids growing up in the store, they learned about the nuts and bolts of a successful business and the hard work it took to make it that way.


Deciding to slow down in 1988, Bob bought the business. Jerry could still be seen everyday pushing the bikes and mowers or the snow blowers out in the morning and back in at night, pulling weeds out of the cracks in the sidewalk or relaxing by the floor furnace.


Moving the blade sharpening and bike repair business to the garage behind the house in 2002, Jerry continued to fix everyone's chains and tires. His grandkids were never without a set of two wheels under them.


Lots of pitches were thrown in the backyard and many miles were peddled around town creating many memories for the grandkids, who were a very important part of his life.


Jerry was a member of the Lemmon Fire Department for 25+ years. He took it very seriously. If the whistle blew while you were with him, you could either wait in the pickup until he got back or walk home.


In 2009, Jerry was diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson's disease causing his regular life to start to change. He entered Five Counties Nursing Home in 2011, where he was know for being easy going and his love for his nightly bowl of maple nut ice cream.

Jerry passed away on Tuesday morning, January 6, 2015 at the Five Counties Nursing Home in Lemmon.

He is survived by his wife, Lucille Heier, Lemmon, SD; son, Bob (Karen) Heier, Newcastle, CO; daughters, Deborah (Jim) Heier-Banning, Rapid City, SD, Jocelyn (Dan) Corcoran, Sheridan, WY and Nicole (Dave) Huffman, Lemmon, SD; nine grandchildren, Kayla, Tory and Darrin Corcoran, Matthew, Justin and Wyatt Huffman, Scott Heier, Mary Jo Johnson and Megan Thompson; six great-grandchildren, Sage, Avery and Eli Peterson, Sydney, Alex and Emilee Heier; and one sister-in-law, Evelyn Heier, Rapid City, SD.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, Carold and Kenny Heier.

Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. followed by a prayer service and gathering of friends and family at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, January 9, 2015 at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.

A Memorial has been established.