Gerald "Jerry" C. Derby, 86, of Burlington, died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice in West Burlington.
Born November 9, 1936, in Albia, he was the son of Glenn C. and Geraldine Dessie Calhoun Derby. On April 2, 1988, he married the love of his life, Sally Kay McQuern Spellerberg at Little Brown Church, Nassau.
Jerry graduated from Albia High School in 1954 and attended Iowa State Teachers College.
He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving from Oct. 18, 1957, until Oct. 7, 1959. He was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood and Ft. Dix. He also served at several locations in Germany. Jerry worked at Hy-Vee in Albia through his high school years. Following college, he began his career with Iowa Southern Utilities. He retired in 1996 as a district manager with Alliant Energy.
Jerry was an outgoing man and served on many boards and organizations. He was a long-time board member of the Girl Scouts. He was a board member and past president of the Burlington/West Burlington Area United Way. Jerry served as chairman of Burlington Area Development Corporation, and a board member for First National Bank and Two Rivers Bank and Trust. Jerry served on several fundraising committees, including Burlington Area Development Corporation. He was instrumental in raising funds to build the outdoor Rec-Plex. He was a long-time member of the Burlington Rotary Club where he held the distinction of being the largest ticket salesperson for the annual Rotary chicken dinner numerous times. The Mississippi Valley Council of Boy Scouts awarded Jerry their distinguished citizen of the year award in 2004. Jerry was an avid blood and platelet donor and donated 37.5 gallons of blood to the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. Through his blood and platelet donations, he was able to help over 900 people. He was one of the founders of Catfish Bend Riverboat Casino in Burlington and served on the board of directors of Elite Casino and Resorts/Riverside Casino.
Jerry and Sally spent many winters in Arizona and Florida with their friends and family. They have been long-term season ticket holders of the Iowa Hawkeyes for football and basketball. He was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, attending playoff and World Series games and telling stories of seeing Stan Musial and Bob Gibson in the 1960s. Jerry was very proud of the beautiful fountains he donated to the Burlington Golf Club which continues to operate on Hole 10.
Survivors include his wife, Sally Kay Derby of Burlington; one son, Dann Derby of Centerville and his family Nicholas, Natasha and her daughter, Samantha, and Damian Derby; two brothers, Dick (Mary) Derby, and Sam Derby; one sister-in-law, Sue Rowland and one step-son, Michael (Susan) Spellerberg; grandchildren, Rachel Spellerberg and Ryan (Kaitlyn) Spellerberg; great-grandson, Nolan Spellerberg; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by two brothers and sisters-in-law, Bill and Ruth Derby and Robert and Wanda Derby; and his first wife, Betty Derby.
Cremation has been entrusted to the care of Prugh Crematory.
The memorial service for Mr. Derby was 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, at Prugh Funeral Service, 3940 Division Street with Jeff Walters officiating. Full military honors were rendered following the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice and ImpactLife Blood Center, formerly Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center.