Gerald James 'Jerry' Rager, 1933 - 2019

RAGER, GREENWOOD

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 2/14/2020 at 00:03:02

Sioux City Journal
5 October 2019

Hoschton, Ga., formerly Sioux City

Gerald James 'Jerry' Rager, 85, our loving dad and grandpa, of Hoschton, formerly of Sioux City, passed away Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, surrounded by all of his children and their families.

Celebration of life service will be 3 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Park Funeral Home in Braselton, Ga. The Rev. Jason Mincey of Mill United Methodist Church will officiate. Visitation will be 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, prior to the service, at the funeral home.

Dad was born on Nov. 11, 1933, in Sioux City, Iowa, to the late Paul and Marie Rager. He was schooled at Sioux City Central High School and Morningside College. He competed nationally and internationally in model airplane competitions as a teenager and continued the hobby into his later years. He served in the armed forces during the Korean War and was a member of the VFW Post 8452.

He worked at Sioux City Engineering and architectural firms in the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1970s and 1980s, he worked as a contractor and homebuilder in Sioux City and served as past president of the Sioux City Construction League and Homebuilders Association of Sioux City. He was a former member of the Sertoma Club of Sioux City, a former Planning and Zoning Commission member, a member of Tyrian Lodge 508 A.F. and A.M., a member of the Sioux City Consistory Scottish Rite, a member of Abu Bekr Shrine, and served as a board member for the Boys Club of Sioux City.

Dad and Mom are members of Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church in Dacula, Ga., and loved visiting with friends and family at their home in an active retirement community in Hoschton, Ga. Dad knew the Lord Jesus, so it brings comfort knowing his final home probably has him building homes and model airplanes on the golden streets of Heaven.

He is survived by his loving wife, Betty A. Greenwood of Akron, Iowa, whom he married in June 1957 in Sioux City. He is also survived by his brother, Mike of Sioux City; three children and their spouses, Randy and Deborah, Brenda and Jay, Jeff and Pat; and seven grandchildren and one granddaughter-in-law, Jason, Ben, Jessica, Mark, Grace, Owen, Holly, and Sarah.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Dementia Society of America at https://www.dementiasociety.org.