Jerry Joe McMullen (1936-2014)

MCMULLEN, PENFIELD, WILKINSON, CHENG, SULLIVAN, STRALEY

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 2/1/2014 at 15:35:36

From Bacon Funeral Home & Crematory obituary, Nevada and Maxwell, Story County, Iowa:

Jerry Joe McMullen was born on April 24, 1936 to Howard and Liefe (Penfield) McMullen. After spending the first few years of his life in May City, Iowa, the family moved to Burt, Iowa. Jerry grew up spending many happy times playing sports, participating in school and church activities and working at the family’s grocery store with his two older brothers. Jerry graduated from Burt High School in 1954 and attended Iowa State, graduating in 1958 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. After his first teaching and coaching jobs in Lakota, Iowa, Jerry pursued a Master’s Degree at Iowa State. The work on this degree took Jerry to Gambia, Africa where he assisted in setting up schools and sports programs. This was the first of several amazing journeys that allowed Jerry to teach in several countries on different continents.

Jerry’s next teaching posts were in Cold Lake, Alberta and Whitehorse, The Yukon, Canada. The first day on the job in Whitehorse, Jerry walked into the teachers’ lounge and was instantly smitten with a British teacher named Hetty Wilkinson. Jerry and Hetty were married on March 25, 1967 in Whitehorse.

That fall the couple moved to Callaway, Nebraska where they started a family and Jerry, as principal, helped with the completion of a new school. Nine years and three children later, the family moved to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia where Jerry taught science at Kedron High School. After a year, they moved to Roma, Australia – a town on the edge of the Outback – where Jerry and Hetty both had teaching jobs.

In 1978, the family moved back to The States when Jerry accepted the positions of Principal and Athletic Director of the Fonda Community Schools. While in Fonda, Jerry earned his Specialist Degree in School Administration from Iowa State leading to another career change in 1983 when Jerry was hired as Superintendant of Schools in Paullina, Iowa. After ten years in Paullina Jerry was hired as Superintendant of the Sac City School District from where he retired in 1998. Jerry and Hetty spent their retirement traveling to see friends and family across the globe, volunteering with many church and civic organizations and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Where ever Jerry lived he was known for making things better. He had a way of caring about people and the communities in which they lived that compelled him to work for their betterment. Everywhere he lived, Jerry sought out a church home and the local chapter of Lions Club International.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents; the love of his life, Hetty; and his brother, Jim. He is survived by his oldest brother, Jack (Jane) of Northwood, IA; a niece, Cheryl McMullen-Cheng of Sioux City, IA; a nephew Ron McMullen, of Iowa City, IA; and a nephew, Tim McMullen-Sullivan of San Diego, CA. He is also survived by his daughter Becky McMullen Straley and her husband Scott of Omaha, NE; his son Ian, of Nevada, IA; and his son Adrian; as well as grandchildren Stephen and Reece Straley; Cassandra, Madeline and Victoria McMullen.

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