Jerry Petersen

It is one thing to hear someone say “I love you.” It is another to just know it, to never question it, to be so absolutely certain of it that you feel it day in, day out -- as certain as there being a sunrise and a sunset -- even if that someone is nowhere around.

Jerry Petersen, 86, passed away on April 24, 2025 after giving Parkinson’s and Father Time one hell of a fight. To the end, neither was able to take his hope, his decency or his spirit – a testament to his character and a lesson for us all.

Jerry was born in Mayfield on July 30, 1938, to Vernon and Willa Mae Petersen. Two years later, he welcomed his only sister, Joyce. There was no need for another sister -- Joyce was all he could ask for – but by the time the family moved to Chesterland, he’d been blessed with three little brothers, Gordy, Rich and Steve. Chesterland gave him and his siblings a chance to just be kids, especially after they moved to Mulberry Road and what became known as Misty Morn Farm. They formed a bond that never broke.

Things were different then – the first purchase he made with his paper route money was an accordion and even in elementary school, he would drive the milk truck while his father ran deliveries for Dean Dairy (polka and driving would forever remain part of him, and regardless of the decade or stage of life, he could be seen driving with the window down humming along). It wasn’t all work, though; as a young man, he was prone to do young man things. As he told it, he was fortunate that report cards were written in pencil and, separately, that the constable’s patrol car topped out at 68 mph.

Smart and ambitious, but with a less than stellar academic record and not entirely certain what he wanted to do, he enrolled at Kent State University, where he found out college took more than just natural ability, it took hard work. As a sophomore, he finally kicked it into gear, earning a 4.0 gpa, which is fortunate, because it meant he would be around his junior year to meet the woman that would truly help him put it all together. Her name was Kathy Zimmerman. They would go on to be married for 54 years, until her passing in 2016.

After graduating Kent State, he and Kathy enrolled at The Ohio State University. The two married in 1962. She obtained her Masters in Education and he secured his law degree. After graduating, they moved to Hocking County with their daughter, Kris, where Kathy started her teaching career and Jerry found his first legal job doing title searches for an oil and gas company.

By 1967, Geauga County was calling him home. That year marked the beginning of more than fifty years of private and public service. Early on, he spent time as both an Assistant Prosecutor and Prosecutor, but he is best known for two things, his work in private practice, particularly for the firm he co-founded with his longtime partner, Dennis Ibold, and for the building and development business he operated with his partners in the Burlington Group, which included his youngest brother, Steve. He practiced in courts throughout the state, earning a Preeminent Rating, had a hand in anything that involved the name “Burlington,” and he was incredibly proud of his work in both arenas.

Still, what he was most proud of was his family -- his daughter, Kris, his son, Todd, his daughter-in-law, Susan, and his grandkids, Christian, Cooper, Quinn, Jensen, Kate and Tess. He will miss his sister, Joyce, terribly, as he will his sister-in-law, Lorri, his entire extended family, his friends and caretakers, Cheryl, Albert and Julie, and all those that considered him a friend throughout his life. He loved you all. Truly.

And you loved him, which is what kept him going.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 30, 2025 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm -8:00pm at the DeJohn Funeral Home and Celebration Center, located at 12811 Chillicothe Road, Chesterland, and the Funeral Service will follow on Thursday, May 1, at !0:00 am with interment at Fowlers Mill Cemetery in Munson, Ohio.

The Petersen family suggests donations be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation in memory of Jerry, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741; www.michaeljfox.org