Jerry Johnson

Jerry Lee Johnson, 77, of Great Falls, passed away on February 21, 2014.A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel on Saturday, March 1, 2014. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.Jerry was born on June 11, 1936 in Fountain Green, Utah, to William and Nora (Anderson) Johnson. He was educated in Fountain Green. At the age of 18, he entered the United States Air Force on January 12, 1955 and was stationed at Fairchild AFB, Spokane, WA. Jerry was then stationed at Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, MT. He attended training in Helena as a jet mechanic and then worked at Holmans Aviation at Gore Hill. He was a civil engineer and mechanic for the trucks that transported the missiles at Malmstrom for over 30 years. He retired on January 1, 1998. President Bill Clinton sent Jerry a letter of congratulations on his retirement, and the Montana state flag was flown over the State capital in Helena on November 2, 1997 in honor of his retirement from Federal Service after 32 years and 9 months with the Department of the Air Force.Jerry married Vicky Pierce on June 23, 1979 in Great Falls, MT.He was an avid outdoorsman, who enjoyed hunting and was a licensed outfitter at the McDonough Ranch. For many years, he had a cabin at Holter Lake where he loved to fish and boat. He was an active member of the Altered Classics Car Club and enjoyed attending car shows with his own deep blue 67 Cougar XR7.Jerry is survived by his wife, Vicky; daughters LaDonna Roper and Sandi (Wayne) Johnson Thares both of Great Falls; son Bill (Rebecca) Johnson Sr. of Spokane, WA; stepson Andrew Drew (Tracy) Pierce of Missoula; three grandchildren; and several nieces.He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Nora Johnson; brother Kent Johnson; and granddaughter Cassidy.