Jerry R at the End of the
Pavement
By Janice Boling
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Jerry R was a regular at the End of the Pavement.
He kept up with the music scene, could fix anything, and had a green thumb.
Jerry R in Germany
Jerry sent me this picture while he was stationed overseas sometime around 1980. He was handsome with intelligent eyes which attracted the ladies.
Jerry in the Army
Jerry and I wrote letters back and forth while he served his country. Back then, there was no such thing as Facebook, email, or texting.
Old cotton shirt
Jerry gave me two of these 100% cotton shirts when he got back from Germany. They were really for Joe but I confiscated them.
After over 35 year of winter use, the shirts are finally starting to show some age. Every time I put one on, I think of Jerry in the snowy Alps. I plan on wearing them until they turn into rags.
Sometimes another man's junk really is another man's treasure.
Jerry provided a lot of treasure through the years including trouble-shooting, fixing everything that needed fixing, and sharing homegrown vegetables.
Jerry throws some shoes
Tammy looked on while Tony watched the crowd. Jerry was fixing to throw a horseshoe.
I bet we played a million games of horseshoes over the years at the End of the Pavement. If that old tree could talk, it would tell some tales.
Jerry and Rick in ball caps
I saw them drink a lot of beers, but don't remember ever seeing Jerry or Rick drunk. They could hold their liquor and knew when to stop.
14 men drinking beer
Jerry R took this picture at his going away party. It was the night before he left for the Army.
Jerry was the only one with money, spending a hundred dollars on beer for everyone.
Half of these men were not part of the End of the Pavement bunch. They came from Dooley, Gumlog, and Towns County.
Adrian was showing off his new teeth.
These two boys grew up together and were as cute as could be.
Jason, in the orange shirt, was Jerry and Julie's son. Adrian, in red vest, belonged to Deborah and Len.
Ann, Jerry, Jason, and LaRue
Jerry had salt and pepper hair on this day at the End of the Pavement. That was Jerry's son, Jason, all grown up.
Ann looked happy as always. And that was LaRue, Tony Rich's oldest brother. He was in a wheelchair.
The End of the Pavement was wheelchair accessible. We welcomed people with disabilities, mental issues, criminal records, and other problems as long as they behaved. Who were we to judge? We had our own troubles.
We also welcomed people of different races and nationalities. Once in a while a person of color would visit and two Canadians actually became regulars. They were all treated like royalty -- I guess we were starved for diversity.
Merry Christmas
Jerry R put a lighted wreath on his car. It was very festive.
Jerry had the door open so we could listen to the radio. When a song come on, Jerry could tell you the name of the song, the year it came out, and the band. Most of the time he even knew the name of the lead singer. Jerry amazed people with his knowledge.
Julie and a friend
Julie was married to Jerry for years. She had dark, curly hair and was fun to be around. I don't remember her friend's name.