Neil Robert Jerome's Obituary
Neil Robert Jerome
Neil, a loving husband, father, brother and friend, died Tuesday, July 24, surrounded by his family. He was 74.
He spent his life traveling the world, making friends and telling stories.
Neil was born in Canandaigua, New York, on July 28, 1937, and grew up in the Canadice region of upstate New York.
Neil spent 27 years in the United States military, serving in both the Navy and the Air Force. He retired as a Senior Master Sergeant at McChord Air Force Base in 1980. While with the Air Force, Neil was a B-52 maintenance instructor then finished his career as a C-130 Flight Engineer.
After his military service Neil joined Boeing and worked in quality control at the Renton plant for more than 10 years. A man of many talents and even more interests, Neil enjoyed cooking, traveling with his friends and learning about gadgets - big and small. He had a particular affection for barbequing, making ice cream, creating jewelry, woodworking, brewing beer and crafting jerky.
Neil is survived by his wife Donna; sister Karen, brother-in-law Tom; daughters Cathy and Laura; sons Byron and Joe; daughters-in-law Cheryl and Ingrid; and son-in-law Jeff. Neil was also blessed with seven grandchildren: Renee, Erin, Jennie, Chris, Nate, Nick, and Rosie; and two great-grandchildren, Hunter and Austin.
A funeral mass will be held in his honor at St. Leo's Catholic Church, Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at 12:10 p.m. Military honors and interment are scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Friday, Aug. 3 at Tahoma National Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made in Neil's name to Noah's Pet Project at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Tacoma (www.noahspetproject-tacoma.org), or to Catholic Community Services of Western Washington (www.ccsww.org).
Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home.
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