Jerald D Bitner

Jerald Duane Bitner was born at home on the farm near Stonington, CO on April 20, 1929, to Mary Gladys Hume Bitner and Harvey Olin “Pete” Bitner.  Gladys was thrilled that her ten-pound son had inherited his father’s blonde hair and bright blue eyes.  His brother, Lynn, and sister, Rosalee, were not overjoyed as they made it clear one day when they pushed baby Jerry down to the creek in the family’s wicker buggy and left him there.  The two naughty siblings told their mother, ”We left that old baby at the creek.”

Jerry was named for his paternal Grandfather, Jefferson Davis Bitner.  Gladys was not fond of her father-in-law and did not want to name her baby after a man she could not tolerate.  A compromise to use the initials J.D. was suggested by the wife of the doctor attending the birth.  Jerald with a J. as we always say was the choice.

When Jerry was six years old, he was watching some men break a horse in a rock corral in Walsh, CO.  A horse reared up breaking off a rock which had been serving as a seat for Jerry.  The giant rock landed on top of the small boy smashing him.  Several men tried to move the rock with no success.  With a surge of adrenalin, Jerry’s uncle, Max Hume, lifted the rock, scooped up Jerry and ran for his car.  They drove by the Bitner home where Gladys jumped on the running board for the ride to the doctor.  The doctor had no way to do any tests or offer any real help and believed Jerry had little chance of living.  The only memory Jerry had of that summer was of being in a washtub filled with water.  Jerry was so ill and losing so much blood, he was forced to eat raw liver for the iron content.  As a result, his kids never had to eat liver!

In 1938, the Bitner family moved to Alamosa, CO.  Jerry remembered herding cattle and being fascinated with bee keeping during this time.  In 1941, the Bitners moved back to this area.  After the death of Jefferson Davis Bitner, Jerry was very happy to move into the family home.

During Jerry’s school years, he loved sports, woodworking and anything mechanical.  His family enjoyed the furniture he made for many years.  Jerry also loved all kinds of animals and kept some rather unusual pets including eagles, coyotes, bobcats and prairie dogs.  Jerry graduated from Manter High School in 1947.  He then attended Lamar Community College on a football scholarship even though he’d never seen a game.

Jerry’s life changed forever in 1948 when he met the love of his life, Velma Brown. They married September 28, 1950, in Tahlequah, OK.  The one promise Velma wanted from Jerry was that they’d never have to live in what he thought of as “God’s Country”.  Of course, they only spent 60 years here together.

After their marriage, Jerry and Velma made their home in Stilwell, Ok---Velma’s hometown.  They enjoyed spending time with Velma’s extended family.  Her relatives convinced Jerry---a man who had hardly ever even seen a tree—to buy a saw mill. He figured he could learn and ran the saw mill until he went into the Marine Corps in 1952.

Jerry and Velma were able to stay together most of the time he was in the Marine Corps. They enjoyed living in Virginia and North Carolina but had special memories of their time in Philadelphia.  Living across the street from a ballroom hosting extravagant parties was great entertainment.  Jerry and Velma were thrilled to have younger brother Kip Bitner visit them in Philly.  They didn’t know he was coming and often marveled how he found his way in the big city and rode the subway to within a block of their apartment.

Velma often told the story of the Marine Corps losing Jerry’s pay records.  After going without pay for two months, Jerry and Velma pawned everything they owned except for Velma’s treasured wedding rings. Finally, Jerry borrowed ten dollars from a chaplain and bought some bologna, cheese, and crackers.  When the store clerk accidentally gave back change for a twenty dollar bill rather than the ten she was actually given, Jerry quickly gave back the extra money.  Velma thought that was the mark of a true man.  The pay records were finally found and they were able to get all their things back from the pawn shop.

In 1954, Jerry and Velma returned to Kansas to start farming and ranching.  Their first child, Jan, was born in 1957 followed by Sandy, Jeff, and Cindy.  Both parents were very active in their children’s activities including 4-H, sports, and school events.  Later, they were thrilled to spoil granddaughters Andrea, Jennifer, Amy and Melissa and in turn their families.  Jerry and Velma always tried to be understanding, encouraging and loving.

Family life was very important to Jerry and Velma.  Since they lived close to his parents, cousins, 6 siblings—Lynn, Rosalee, Tuff, Kip, Bud and Lois, and their families—frequent visits and boisterous holidays were the norm.  Those were happy times.

A major part of Jerry’s life was farming and ranching.  He grew numerous crops through the years including wheat, milo, cane, corn, broom corn, and alfalfa.  Jerry was instinctively good with animals always taking excellent care of them.  He raised cattle, hogs, and horses.  Jerry and Velma were enthusiastic riders and raised Palominos and Appaloosas.

Jerry and Velma often grew huge gardens and had many fruit trees.  Their freezer was usually filled with their own meat, vegetables, and fruit.  Jerry particularly enjoyed growing huge pumpkins for Cindy.

After Velma’s death in 2014, Jerry went to live at the Walsh Healthcare Center.  His brother, Kip, and sister-in-law, Virginia, were faithful visitors along with a host of family and friends.  When asked why he wanted to be in Walsh, he simply stated, “This is home.”  Cindy, Brent, and Sandy had fun times with Jerry at WHC watching his John Wayne movies, decorating his room and eating pumpkin pie.  Jerry was an avid sports fan never losing faith in his beloved Kansas City Chiefs although he was in Bronco country.  Many hours were also spent watching his favorite TV channel, the Game Show Network.  As the staff described Jerry, he was their ”jokester” always playing pranks on his nurses also known as his “heifers.”  All of them said the same thing.  “He was special.”

In April 2018, the family home burned ending plans for Cindy and Brent to move to the farm.  As typical for his character, Jerry took it all in stride.  He asked one question.  “Is everybody alright?”  Although Jerry missed the beautiful home he and Velma had created, his main concern was that no one was hurt.

Jerry died February 25, 2019, in Garden City, KS at the age of 89.  Funeral service was held at 11 a.m. on March 1, 2019, at the Manter United Methodist Church.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Manter United Methodist Church PO Box 176, Manter, KS 67862.