Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. We remember with thanksgiving what God has done through His servant Jerry. Julius Jerry Monterastelli was given life by his creator and was born on April 24, 1943, the child of Julius and Rose (nee Duffield) Monterastelli Johnson. On May 16, 1943, he was born again through water and the Spirit by the gracious power of God’s Word in Holy Baptism and became a child of God. On May 20, 1972, he received the gift of his life-long companion and wife, June (nee Foster). He was blessed with the gift of sons, Michael and Shawn, of a daughter-in-law, Lynsey (nee Webber, Shawn’s wife), and granddaughters, Kate, Tessa, and baby Monterastelli. On May 10, 1981, he publicly confirmed the Lutheran confession of the Christian faith at Timothy Lutheran Church in Blue Springs where he received the precious gift of our Lord’s body and blood for 32 years. God
blessed Jerry’s life with many special people as he served God in his vocations as son, brother, husband, father and grandfather. He served as an urban forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation. He retired to Springfield in 2003 and used his forestry skills to serve part-time with Greene County Parks and Recreation and then with Springfield Public Works. Most importantly he recently and regularly received the good gifts of God with the congregation at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Springfield. He was preceded in death by his father, Julius, and his younger brothers, Steven and Lawrence. Finally, in the year of our Lord 2012, on the Fifth Sunday after Trinity (July 8), God blessed Jerry with a holy death and took him home to rest in the arms of Jesus to await the resurrection of the dead. A service will be held in Springfield at 1:00 P.M., July 21, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 2852 S. Dayton Ave. (RedeemerSpringfield.org) with visitation and
reception to follow the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Jerry’s name may be left for Redeemer Lutheran Church of Springfield, Timothy Lutheran Church of Blue Springs, The Community Foundation of the Ozarks (note: The Tree City USA Fund), or the American Cancer Society. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the Name of the Lord. We give thanks to God our Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord, for our brother, Jerry Monterastelli.