Jerry Halloway Tyrrel

Jerry Halloway Tyrrel was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on September 26, 1929 to Willis Eugene and Beatrice Lucas Dudley.  Jerry was the youngest of six siblings.  His father died in 1933.  A few months later, he and his twin brother, Jay, were adopted by Claude Alonzo and Jetta Pomeroy Tyrrel in Tucson, Arizona. Their family moved about throughout his youth residing in such places in Arizona as Mesa, Lakeside, St. David, Pima and Casa Grande, They moved Topaz near Delta, Utah and finally to the Riverside, California area.  Jerry and Jay graduated from Perris Union High School in 1947.

Jerry served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Airborne Infantry and Special Operations.  He retired the military as a Captain in the Special Forces.   

Jerry had a long career as an educator, taking his B.S.and M.S. degrees from Utah State University, receiving additional training at California State Polytechnic College, University of Redlands, Fresno State College and Weber State College.  He also did research work with Arizona State University Climatology Department and the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory.  Over his long career in education he taught all grade levels, but mostly in High School and Adult Education.  He loved Mathematics, writing course curriculum and textbooks in the subject and taught it for decades.  He especially enjoyed coaching athletics and took several teams to state championships.

Jerry enjoyed and excelled at sports, history, genealogy, writing and card games, but his greatest passion was people. Jerry felt as though nobody was a stranger and believed everyone who was in need was worthy of help and assistance.  Jerry was active in the Church of Jesus Christ  of Latter-day Saints most of his life, and was involved in many community, historical and military organizations where he developed life-long friendships.

After retiring from teaching, Jerry became a full-time farmer in north-western Missouri.  While living there he met and married a widow from Arizona, Mary Lynn Lewis Adams.  They were married on December 21, 2002, in St. George, Utah.  They lived together in Utah, Missouri, and Kingman, Arizona.  They spent their last ten years together in Tempe, Arizona.  They were very happy together until her death on 10 May 2019.  Jerry’s suffered cognitive decline the following July.  The family expresses appreciation to the hospital and care facility professionals that assisted in his care over the past year, especially at Maravilla and Scottsdale Village Square.  Jerry passed away in hospice on the Autumn Equinox, and will be buried on his 91st birthday by the side of his wife Mary Lynn in the Reed Hatch Memorial Cemetery in Taylor, Arizona.  Graveside services will be at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, 26 September 2020.  

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