116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Jerry DeFord
JERRY L. DEFORD
Cedar Rapids
Jerry L. DeFord, 81, of Cedar Rapids, passed away Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, at St. Luke's Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at Hope Lutheran Church with Pastor Daniel Clark-Bridges officiating. Visitation will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home. A visitation will also be one hour before services Saturday at the church. Burial will take place at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.
Surviving are his children, Dennis (Robin) DeFord, David DeFord and Daniel DeFord; grandchildren, Kylie (Jeremy Edmonds), Dillon, Alexander Minor, Andrew, Thomas and Shelbie (Cory) Witham; sister, Penny Wilcox; and a brother, Robert DeFord.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Donna; brothers, Charles and Henry; and sisters, Donna and Mary.
Jerry was born on March 3, 1936, the son of Charles and Erma (Dixon) DeFord. He was united in marriage to Donna M. Orman, on Dec. 26, 1958, in Ottumwa. Jerry and Donna enjoyed traveling throughout the U.S. together. He found the greatest joy in spending time with his grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
Memorial contributions in Jerry's honor may be made to Hope Lutheran Church.
Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.cedarmemorial.com under Obituaries.
Daily Newsletters