Gerald “Jerry” Allen King
Gerald “Jerry” Allen King, 66 of Rochester, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday September 9th, 2020 at his home. He was born July 8th, 1954 in Rochester. The son of Kenneth and Marian (Grendahl) King.
Jerry graduated from John Marshall High School, Class of 1972. Following graduation, he attended University of Minnesota, Crookston for some time. In 1982 he met and later married Kelly (Walker) King, of Rochester, and embraced a father role to her young daughter, Sarah Trygstad. Together they had and raised daughters Jada and Kassie. Jerry and Kelly later divorced, and he spent many happy years with special friend, Karen Holmberg. When he was younger, he worked for Tyrol Ski & Sports for many years, and also worked for IBM for over 20 years. He spent some time working for Brock White, and in recent years he did flooring with his close friend, Monte, but for the most part was retired. Jerry was the proudest father. His daughters were his pride and joy. He loved to talk about them with everyone he knew and met. He was also a designated second dad to many others. Jerry was always good for a laugh, had a great sense of humor, and loved to tell tall tales. If you still think he once played for the St. Louis Cardinals, he got you, and he is smirking right now. Not everyone always understood his sense of humor, but those who did loved him for it. He liked to sing karaoke, any chance he would get. He liked to drive us all crazy by making up his own lyrics to songs and had several well-known dance moves. He also loved working in his yard and had the nicest lawn on the block. He was a devoted Twins fan and would watch games at his favorite watering hole the 63 Club, where he has another family, and countless friends.
Survivors include daughters Sarah (Sam) Trygstad, Jada (Aaron) & Kassie King, all of Rochester; three grandchildren Kayla, Ethan, Lauren, and one grand dog, Harper; Mother Marian King, and sisters Ginny (Ken) Dorn, Dena (Larry) Scheidt, Darlene (Russ) Meyer (Theilman, MN), Donna (Kevin) Rollie (Elgin, MN), and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father Kenneth King, and his sister Rosy Kuhn.
It is apparent that Jerry touched many people’s lives and we have already heard so many great stories to keep his memory alive. Jerry was famous for his one-liners with his most popular line being, “Do the things that make you happy” and that is what he would have wanted all of us to do.
There will be a private family burial and a Celebration of Life held Saturday, September 26th, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the Elk’s Club in Rochester, MN.