Jerry Leon Gill, 80, passed from his earthly life on Friday, August 22, 2025, in Edmond, Oklahoma. The family will receive friends at the funeral home visitation from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 27. A Celebration of Life service will begin at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 3, 2025 at the Stillwater First United Methodist Church. Strode Funeral Home and Cremation is in charge of the arrangements.

Jerry was born on March 18, 1945, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he was the third and youngest child born to Roy Leon Gill and Jean Allene Gifford Gill. He grew up in the family home and attended school in Norman, Oklahoma in his early childhood. Eventually the family moved to Lindsay, Oklahoma where his father worked as a licensed electrician for Warren Petroleum. His father was a World War II veteran who wired minesweeping systems on U.S. Navy ships, and Jerry also aspired to serve in the military later when we he was drafted, However, due to a hearing issue he was not able to serve his country as his father did.

Jerry completed his high school education and graduated from Lindsay High School in the spring of 1963. Jerry was a tremendous all-around athlete for the Leopards excelling in football, basketball, and track. His defining athletic moment in high school was helping lead head coach Bill Froman's Leopards to an undefeated 13-0 season capped by the 1962 Class B Football State Championship with a 15-12 victory over Wyandotte High School. Jerry was the star tailback on the team and received First Team All-State honors after the 1962 season.

During his years at Lindsay High School Jerry met and started dating Susan Barry, an All-State Basketball player herself, and the two began a lifelong relationship that was bonded through a 60-year marriage. Jerry and Susan raised four wonderful children, Derek, Lance, Andrea, and Tiffany in the family home, they helped each of their children earn various college degrees and watched them grow to be successful in their fields of expertise which included banking, entrepreneurial business ownership, hotel management, and the medical field. Family was the most important thing to Jerry, and he was most definitely the proud patriarch of the family, and he cheered on each of his children's life successes equally, while also being their strength during times of need.
Jerry was recruited to play collegiate football at Oklahoma State University for the Cowboys under coach Phil Cutchin. He entered Oklahoma State University in the fall of 1963 and played on the school freshmen team (in those days freshmen were not eligible to play on the varsity football team), and he then went on to star for the next three years playing at the varsity level for the Cowboys in the defensive backfield. Those Oklahoma State teams did not have a lot of winning success; however, he was always proud of the fight of the team and especially the way that they showed it on the defensive side of the ball where he was one of the leaders. Jerry made many lifelong friends with his teammates, they all referred to themselves as the "Cutchin Cowboys" as they continued to get together for Oklahoma State Football Games and other events throughout the rest of their lives.

Jerry graduated from Oklahoma State University in the spring of 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in History and went on to eventually earn his Masters and Doctorate degrees in history as well from Oklahoma State University. He was always a "history buff" and he really liked the early and Pre-Civil War history eras in the country's history. He remained a steadfast reader of documents, books, maps, and other media that pertained to history, and he had an incredible urge to continue to be a lifelong learner. He also eventually taught college history classes at Oklahoma State University while he was completing his doctorate's degree.

After college Jerry began his professional career in various areas including the book selling and clothing business, However, he was never able to get Oklahoma State out of his system and the same can be said of the school not wanting to let go of Jerry. As a result, Jerry went back to the school and led its High School and College relations area in a role that saw him visit all 77 counties of Oklahoma as well as other out of state areas to recruit graduating high school men and women to Oklahoma State to earn their college degrees. He was a master of setting up the banquets to honor these students at their high schools, visiting with parents and students, school counselors and administrators, about the value of a continuing post high school education at Oklahoma State University. This was also an early look at Jerry's ability to interact with many different types of individuals across the State of Oklahoma which would serve he and the University very well in his future leadership roles.

Based on Jerry's strong people skills, and broad reach of his individual and corporate business relationships, he was recruited out of the High School and College Relations area of the college to the athletic side of the school's operations and eventually became the Director of Athletic Gifts, which was the major fundraising arm of the college for its athletic programs. He valued and seized this opportunity and really began to grow the donor base of the program. Along the way he continued to meet more alumni, former athletes, and friends of the college as he worked within the POSSE club, which continues to serve the Oklahoma State University athletic department and its athletes today. He always thought as a former athlete and a loyal staunch supporter of Oklahoma State Athletics, that leading this team was his final calling for the university. However, his final act for the college was an even better role than he could have ever imagined. Upon the retirement of Ray Sharp, the University leadership decided that Jerry would be the perfect man to lead the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association into its next formative years as its Executive Director. That led to a final act that spanned 26 years serving many Oklahoma State Boards of Regents and University Presidents, as well as all loyal Oklahoma State alumni across Oklahoma, the United States, and worldwide. This was a wonderful time in Jerry's professional life where he was able to maximize all of his talents, meet everyone associated with the "Orange Ball Sticker" (the brand signifying that a person was an alumnus of Oklahoma State University), and it allowed him to travel all parts of the world, whether it was via Alumni cruises (which he took his wife Susan), to attend athletic events and alumni meetings, or to meet with the many Alumni chapters in various cities.

Jerry retired after 40 years of service to his beloved University (counting his college and football years and spanning into his professional career) when he retired from his Executive Director role in 2007 at the age of 62. Jerry was able to continue to be engaged in civic and community stewardship to help the college and the City of Stillwater after retirement serving on many civic boards, committees and leadership panels. Another area that was important to Jerry was his many decades affiliation with his "Church Family" as a member of the First United Methodist Church, where he served in many roles for the church. He was the longtime leader of the adult Sunday School Class, a leader within its Methodist Men's Group, and served on many financial steward and leadership committees as the church grew its facility and membership footprint several times during these past decades. Besides his family, the church was always a place he was at peace, and he loved to dive into the teachings and words of the defining leader of the Methodist movement, John Wesley. He remained a "Methodist Man" until the end of his life.

Unfortunately, during Jerry's retirement years he was afflicted with Parkinson's disease, and he was so courageous in fighting the debilitating disease, fought it with grace, strength, a ferocious will to live, and a desire to not have that disease define his life during these years. He searched for a way to stay ahead of that disease from writing and publishing a book on Parkinson's Disease, taking speech therapy classes, working through a tough exercise plan to keep his balance, and simply keeping his body and mind sharp by continuing to attend events for family, the Stillwater community, being active in the Church and Oklahoma State University. Disparagingly, the disease progressed exponentially in the last 24 months of his life despite efforts to slow it down and it ultimately took Jerry's earthly life on August 22, 2025. However, Jerry did not succumb without a fight, and as usual he had a plan and executed it as he passed peacefully around his wife and children on the 22nd day of the month, which was his favorite number and the number he wore in college at Oklahoma State, along with the 22nd being the birthdate of the month of three of his children.

Jerry will be remembered as one of the real good men of this world. The greatest gift to his immediate family, his church family, his Oklahoma State University family, and his beloved City of Stillwater, is the example of how he led his life. He had a strong work ethic, developed from his parents, he had integrity, and he took pride in giving his best and doing things right. He lived out his values; he was honest, his word was his bond, and he rarely ever spoke disparagingly of others.

Jerry was that rare individual whose energy, enthusiasm, and positive disposition would light up a room and he had a wonderful knack of being able to talk to every person in the room. He loved the engagement and feeling of talking to individuals, he was confident and comfortable in that space whether he was talking to corporate executives in the boardroom or talking to fellow Oklahomans on "main street" in their communities. Jerry was a people person at his core, and he loved and coveted that trait.

Jerry will be painfully missed by his family and all who knew and interacted with him. However, he was a man of faith and confident in his faith and he knows that his journey continues in heaven now with a healthy mind, body, and spirit. Jerry has gone from our earthly lives, but he will live on always in our memories and hearts. Jerry, "we love you" and the saints in heaven will love you too!

Jerry is survived by his wife Susan of the home, sister Barbara Ann Gill Howard, Camano Island, Washington, sister Melva Jean (Jeannie) Gill Smith and husband Thurman, Ardmore, Oklahoma; children Derek Gill and wife Tammy, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Lance Gill and wife Susan, Edmond, Oklahoma, Andrea Gill Carter and husband Bob, Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Tiffany Gill Lenhart and husband Justin, Edmond, Oklahoma. Surviving grandchildren include Jared Gill, Mackenzie Gill, and Vincent Lenhart. Jerry was predeceased by his father Roy Leon Gill, his mother Jean Allene Gifford Gill, his brother-in-law Bob Howard, and his sister-in-law Cindy Thompson and her husband Alfred Thompson.

Those wishing to honor Jerry's memory may do so by contributing to the Oklahoma Parkinson's Alliance, 720 W. Wilshire Blvd. #109, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73116.