Jerry Lee Ash, age 91, of Springfield, passed peacefully away on October 31, 2023, at Ozark Riverview Manor. He was born to Maxwell and Meta (Evers) Ash on May 13, 1932, in Omaha, Nebraska. Jerry was raised in Nebraska and graduated from Wayne High School in 1950. After high school, Jerry attended Wayne State College. He was united in marriage to the love of his life, Vivian (Heithold) Ash, on June 17, 1951, in Coleridge, Nebraska. Jerry and Vivian shared 72 wonderful years of marriage and were blessed with three sons, Gregory, Jeffrey, and Stephen.

Jerry was an ambitious man of many talents and vocations. After college, he taught in a one room school in rural Nebraska. His career path changed in the late 1950s when he and Vivian moved to Colorado Springs. It was there that Jerry began a new career in law enforcement. After serving nine years as a Colorado Springs police officer, Jerry and Vivian relocated to Anaheim, California, where he was hired to be a detective and later a crime scene investigator. In 1968, Jerry and his family returned home to Missouri where he worked for the next ten years as a claims adjustor for State Farm Insurance. In the late 1970s, Jerry made yet another career change when he and Vivian were hired by the Regal 8 corporation to co-manage various motels in Missouri, Colorado, and Arizona. As a proven leader in the motel industry, Jerry was later promoted to an upper level management position within the company. In 1990, Jerry retired from Regal 8 after serving as the company’s Regional Vice President of Operations. Jerry will be remembered as a smart, hardworking man of character who lived his life in support of Vivian and their family. He will also be remembered for having a small acting role in the 1961 movie entitled, Anatomy of a Psycho. In this American crime thriller, Jerry made a brief appearance as a prison guard. This role was well-suited for a man in law enforcement.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Maxwell and Meta Ash; son, Gregory Ash; six brothers-in-law: Wendel Lumley, Jack Hughes, Ray Puntney, Stanley Heithold, Richard Heithold, and Donavon Heithold; and two sisters-in-law: Ardath Putney and Ziola Heithold. He is survived by his loving wife of 72 years, Vivian; son, Jeffrey and his wife, Linda; son, Stephen Ash; six grandchildren: Alice (Bear) Elliott, Gabe (Brooke) Ash, Jessica (Steve) Cutler, Travis Ash, Austin Ash, Westin Ash; six great-grandchildren: Mac (Maggie) Elliott, Lincoln Ash, Leah Ash, Lucas Cutler, Natalie Cutler, and Emerson Cutler; one great-great grandchild, Jett Elliott; a combination of twenty sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law; along with many nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

A memorial service for Jerry Lee Ash will be held on Monday, November 6, 2023, 1:00 pm, at Greenlawn Funeral Home North in Springfield. There will not be a scheduled visitation prior to the service. Jerry will be laid to rest in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made in Jerry’s memory to a worthy and noble cause of the donor’s choice.