Obituary – Jerry Dee Eliasen

Oct. 11, 1949 ~ Feb. 17, 2025

Jerry Dee Eliasen, oft called the “Big Dude” in our home, was born Oct. 11, 1949, in Rifle, Colorado, to Antone Bryan (Whitey) Eliasen and Mary Jean Findley Eliasen, the 10th of 15 children along with his twin sister Jenny.

Jerry’s parents moved into Meeker from Piceance Creek to a small house near the top of 11th Street. The boys slept in the outbuilding and the girls slept in the basement of this one bedroom, one bath house. Jerry was not fond of venison due to fact in order to feed this brood, his family ate deer majority of the time. There is a story that the local DOW was directed not to notice any possible signs of poached deer in off seasons.

He worked for several local ranchers, milking and feeding cattle before going to school in the mornings. He and his older brothers played basketball, especially after he grew about six inches in one year. Due to Jerry’s stutter, the school assumed he was not as intelligent as he truly was. His engineering brain found focus on big machines and his analytical mind was passed on to his daughters who he encouraged to go into engineering but ended up with doctors. Jerry never completed any post high school education but had a brilliant mind for making things work. Due to this fact, when young, his daughter Emily thought jury/jerry-rigged was actually “Jerry-rigged.”

After high school, Jerry was not eligible for the draft. He ended up working in the oil fields and local farms. In 1981 at the oil field, Jerry received severe burns on his hands and was sent to the Hospital at University of Utah, where the doctor informed him that he was third best burn doctor in the world. Jerry asked, “Where’s number one?” After healing he returned to working intermittently at the oil fields, at Sprod Farms, and cowboying at Piceance Creek for the Brennan family. He also farmed up Fly Creek and Little Beaver.

In 1991, Jerry married Catherine Elizabeth Pahlke. Jerry and Catherine met at the hospital Christmas ball where he was attending because he loved to dance. Later while riding along with his friend Si Woodruff (Chief of Police at the time), they spotted Catherine in her car, and ran her plates to get contact information. After he contacted Catherine, she in turn, asked her friend, who was a dispatcher, to run his name. Their first date was the Cattleman’s Ball where Jerry’s mother was catering, so Catherine had to help, but they still had plenty of time to dance. Jerry always said, “It was God’s sense of humor, because he had decided he would probably never marry.” They later had two daughters, the youngest grandchildren on both sides of the family, Anna Brook and Emily Jean. Jerry was extremely proud of his girls. He encouraged his daughters to learn to be highly self-sufficient and ensured that they had the best tools for safety throughout life. The family enjoyed shooting targets and were somewhat competitive. Jerry also loved the animals in his life. The “Big Dude” could often be found spoiling one or napping with one on his lap.

Jerry was an active member of the Meeker volunteer fire department for 15 years. Having to retire due to work conflict once he started working swing shifts at Deserado Coal Mine in Rangely. Jerry worked as a bolter in the mine, but was valued for his work ethic and ability to make the big machines work more effectively. It was here that he befriended future godfather to both daughters, Bill Kendall. After 17 years Jerry left to work for Rio Blanco County as the Building Maintenance Director. He is still remembered for the beauty of the lawns and that he would tell the truth to anyone, regardless of status or position. His ability to make the new renovations work with the old existing systems again showed his analytical problem solving mind at work.

In his later years Jerry was an active member of Rio Blanco Search and Rescue. His gift of being able to recognise terrain from a helicopter or plane and then direct ground search made him the person you wanted to be looking for you, if you were lost or in trouble. He took pride in the success of the team as well as felt the losses for those found too late to help.

Jerry is survived by wife Catherine (Pahlke) Eliasen, and children Anna and Emily Eliasen. Siblings Edgar Eliasen, Jenny Megahey, John Eliasen, Sue (Susie) Peters, Zina Eliasen, Ronald Eliasen and Sara Richardson as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by both parents, Whitey and Mary, and siblings Elaine Webber, Elizabeth Devore, Enid Steffen, Earl Eliasen, Ellis Eliasen, Elton Eliasen, and Elle Anding.

Services will be held Saturday, March 1 at 11 a.m., at White River Methodist Church. There will be a last ride with the fire department to Meeker Highland Cemetery for burial, and an opportunity for remembering over luncheon at the church reception hall after.

In lieu of flowers, Jerry requested donations be made to HopeWest.