Jerome "Jerry" M. Heska

Jerome “Jerry” Maynard Heska, a 60-year resident of Gaylord, Michigan, peacefully passed away on August 25, 2025, at Crawford Continuing Care Center in Grayling, Michigan. He was 98 years young.

Jerry was born to William and Lenora Heska on May 28, 1927, in Dearborn, Michigan and grew up in Inkster. He was the only son out of four children (and was the grandson of Edwin Baxter, the dulcimer player in Henry Ford’s Old Time Orchestra.) Jerry outlived all of them.

In his teens, Jerry worked as an usher at a local movie theater, set pins at a bowling alley, and volunteered at the Henry Ford Museum. He hitchhiked to Detroit Tiger baseball games -- but only after he’d cleaned the chicken coop and butchered a couple birds for dinner.

He was dedicated to his country and repeatedly attempted to join every branch of the service during World War II, but he could not pass the physical due to an eye condition called congenital nystagmus. So, he joined the Civil Air Patrol where he learned and taught Morse Code. He gave up a promotion to get married.

He met Bernice (AKA Bernie AKA Bern AKA Babe), the love of his life, at the local pool where, as the story goes, she pretended not to be able to swim to get his attention. Jerry and his cousin Jim eventually spied her when she executed a perfect dive. Despite the deception, they got married on Friday, June 13, 1947 -- purposely to prove that Friday 13th was not unlucky. They celebrated their 64th anniversary, five months before Bernie passed in 2011. He never stopped loving or missing her.

Jerry held many types of jobs over the years, but he was first and foremost a carpenter and a craftsman. When Jerry and Bernie were in their mid-twenties, they moved north, purchasing a super small house and four rustic cabins on Horseshoe Lake south of Waters. “Heska’s Huts” eventually morphed into the Deerland Motel which Jerry built. Later he added a four-bedroom home on the front. Jerry used his talents on many buildings in the Gaylord area -- and also constructed several of the Alpenfest Boogs when the festival was in its infancy. The family moved to town in the mid-60s.

Jerry worked for many years at U.S. Plywood and ultimately developed an interest in emergency care. This is where he found his true calling. He served as a volunteer fireman, instructed classes in first aid, became an EMT – then EMT instructor -- worked in the Emergency Room of Otsego Memorial Hospital, and was a founder of the first ambulance corps in Otsego County. He loved to share his experiences and particularly enjoyed telling the story of how he finally delivered a baby (breech) in a home across the street from the hospital in a snowstorm. When he and Bernie retired, they spent several months traveling and serving as hosts in out-of-state campgrounds.

Jerry was a woodworker and hand-carved many pieces -- including several canes and pictures that won ribbons at the County Fair. He also carved a walking stick that included photos of many past Alpenfest queens. He loved Alpenfest -- the queen’s pageant, the concerts (most of them), the parades, the crafts, the food (especially the elephant ears) -- and mostly talking with people downtown. He made several trips a week to Glens (AKA Family Fare) -- for groceries, but mostly to chat with people. And he loved the air shows. He would have given anything to be able to fly a plane himself.

Unlike Jerry, Bernie hated winter, so he sometimes painted desert or summer scenes on snowbanks viewable from the front window for her. (Ironically, Bernie used to compliment his many building and construction talents saying, “Your father is good at many things, but painting is not one of them” -- until he did the first snowbank painting.) You might have even seen newspaper photos of him sitting in a beach chair in a swimsuit in front of one of his creations. He was known to shovel snow in shorts just to get a laugh from passersby. In his later years he missed being able to push the snowblower and never had an interest in moving to a warmer climate.

He enjoyed cooking (his chicken noodle soup and chicken dumplings were specialties) and baking. His latest love was rhubarb upside-down cake and making “kitty litter” cakes for birthdays. Little made him happier than for guests to pop in and taste his creations with a cup of coffee.

Jerry liked to hunt and fish and garden and work crossword puzzles. He put giant jigsaw puzzles together and fashioned them into wall hangings. The more difficult the puzzle, the more he enjoyed it. He claimed to have read almost every western fiction book in the library. He was partial to Zane Gray. He liked to watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune and Lawrence Welk and, of course, Tigers baseball games. He was not a fan of I Love Lucy and would leave the room whenever it came on TV. (He said he didn’t like to hear her cry.) His children loved to tease him about that. He liked bingo and the Hibernian Irish parties were his favorite evenings.

Jerry and Bernie were a fine sight on the dance floor, particularly when it came to square dances and polkas. He was also was part of a bowling team in his younger years.

He was a lifelong member of the Order of the Eastern Star and Freemasons, and he lived the Masons’ values of brotherhood, integrity, kindness, service and community involvement.

Those who knew Jerry knew he was a caring, creative, funny, jovial people-person. He genuinely loved being around others, playing jokes, getting hugs, and was always ready to respond to someone in need. People were drawn to his infectious cheer and warmth. It was common for him to offer to show someone new “a picture of my pride and joy.” When they agreed, he would open his wallet to show an aged photo of bottles of Pride and Joy dish detergent.

Jerry’s spirit will live on through daughters Sandra King (Dennis) and Candace Ryder (Patrick) and son William (special friend Teri). He also leaves behind grandchildren Kristin (Mathew, predeceased), Abby (Ben), Jeremy (Riley), Aaron (special friend Angela), Rob, Kevin (Angie) and Matt; great grandchildren David, Gracee, Lillee, Dax, Kolbie, Brooks, Emma, Owen, Tyler (special friend Emaleth), Morgan (Bryan) and Molly (special friend Cody); and great great grandchildren, Iverson, Kaisley, Easton and Colton. Jerry was also blessed with his “Little Dutch Girl” from the Netherlands Conny, and her husband Jos. Bernie originally met Conny through the internet 30 years ago and the couple became family.

We will all miss Jerry big time but draw comfort in our many memories and by imagining him and his “Babe” creating mischief and swinging joyfully around heaven’s dance floor.

A memorial celebration of Jerry’s life will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 8, 2025, at Gaylord Community Funeral Home and Cremation Service, where family will welcome and visit with friends beginning at 10:00 a.m. Pastor Scott Distler will officiate the service. Jerry’s remains will be interred with Bernie’s at Fairview Cemetery in Gaylord.

In lieu of flowers, the family has established the Jerry Heska Memorial Fund of the Otsego Community Foundation to support Jerry’s passion for emergency medical care and training. Please make the check to OCF, PO Box 344, Gaylord, MI 49734 (include Jerry Heska Fund in the memo line) or online at: https://godonate.akoyago.com/OCF/fund/jerry-heska-memorial-fund

The family also suggests donations to the Otsego County Commission on Aging in gratitude for their care for Jerry and all seniors in our county.

Please share your memories and personal messages with the family on his guestbook below.