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Gerald 'Jerry' Hankemeier
GERALD "JERRY" OWEN HANKEMEIER
Mechanicsville
Gerald "Jerry" Owen Hankemeier, 75, of Mechanicsville, Iowa, passed away Dec. 18, 2020, at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's Hospital, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Visitation: 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 27, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Mount Vernon, Iowa. Face masks and social distancing will be required by everyone in attendance. A private family service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 28. Friends and extended family are invited to watch the service via livestream. Please find the livestream link on Jerry's tribute wall and share your support and memories with his family at www.stewartbaxter.com under obituaries. Following the service, Jerry will be laid to rest at Rose Hill Cemetery in Mechanicsville. A celebration of life will be held in the summer of 2021 when it is safe to do so.
Jerry was born in Maquoketa, Iowa, on June 11, 1945, the son of the late J. Benjamin and Lillian (Fuglsang) Hankemeier. He was baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Andrew, Iowa, and confirmed into the faith at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Anamosa, Iowa. Jerry graduated from Monticello High School in 1964.
He began married life in farming, but quickly realized that trucking was what he truly enjoyed, and he was very good at his job. Most of us believe he could actually turn a rig on a dime. Jerry loved life and could tell a story or joke better than anyone. His career in the trucking industry gave him plenty of material which he used to entertain us for years.
He had a gift of hospitality as well as a gift of service. Countless times, he would drop what he was doing to help someone in need. He loved people, celebrations with family and he enjoyed playing cards. Jerry never missed an opportunity to dance or ride his motorcycle.
Survivors include his daughters, Tanya, Lita and Regina; son, Jesse and his wife, Andrea; nine grandchildren, Benjamin, Tess, Micheala, Lilly, Malone, Taylor, Cameron, Kaylee and Jenna; and four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by four brothers, Glen (Nancy), Daniel (Olivia), James (friend Brenda) and Hans (Barbara); two sisters, Karmen (Ken Funk) Farrington and Carla (Ken) Schuette; as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Loren.
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