Jerry L. Chew

Our hearts are heavy as we share the news of the passing of Gerald “Jerry” Chew, 93. Our loving husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, grandfather, and great grandfather, was born on December 10th, 1931 in Cincinnati, Ohio and passed peacefully on the morning of August 16th surrounded by family, friends, and 2 Springer Spaniels at his home in Battle Ground, Washington. A viewing is scheduled Friday, August 29th from 9am to 5pm at Evergreen Memorial Gardens located at 1101 NE 112th Avenue in Vancouver, WA 98684. A Graveside Service will take place on Saturday, August 30th at 2:00pm at the Evergreen Cemetery. You may visit www.evergreenmemorialgardens.com to leave a comment or story about Jerry. Jerry was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Elsie and Luther Chew. Jerry had 3 brothers, Paul, who was the oldest, then Jerry, Jim, and Richard. The family moved to Florida when Jerry was very young. At the age of 8 he lost his father. At the age of 14 he traveled to Marcola, Oregon to live with his grandparents. He and his grandmother raised chickens after his grandfather “Dat” was killed in a car accident. In the summer of 1946 Jerry met the “red-headed love of my life.” Thelma May Meisner married Jerry Chew on November 14, 1950, for almost 75 years. They had 5 children together: Howard Meisner, Cindy Wright, Teresa Chew, Geri Chew-Dorsey, and Denise Ekwueme, along with 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. They brought great joy to his life. Jerry worked as a truck driver for over 50 years for Whitaker, ONC, until they went out of business and finally worked for Fred Meyer (Kroger) where he retired in 1993. He was a proud member of the Teamsters 37. Jerry loved to go deer hunting each fall with friends and family in his younger years. He loved motorcycles and rode as a funeral escort in the 1950’s for Vancouver Funeral Chapel. He took many trips on his bikes to scout out future elk and deer hunting grounds. As recently as age 92 he told Thelma he wanted to get a trike. Jerry and Thema took their kids to the beach as often as possible where they would camp and dig razor clams among other things. They loved being at the coast so much they ended up purchasing property there, where family and friends gathered for many years. Jerry and Thelma became Sno-Birds, trekking back and forth in their RV to Arizona. Jerry loved RVing. He and his wife Thelma met many of their friends while RVing on trips all over the country. Jerry loved to tell stories…stories about the road his family, or just about life. If you have a memory or something special you shared with Jerry, please post your experience on the Evergreen Memorial website.

Jerry L. Chew

December 10, 1931 - August 16, 2025