Gerald Burton Pettinger died June 6, 2022, in Marshalltown, Iowa, of cancer. He was 75.
He was born Oct. 8, 1946, in Chariton, Iowa, to Robert and Erville Pettinger. He attended Ragtown School and Russell Community School, graduating in 1965. He went on to attend Iowa State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife biology.
Gerald was an avid hunter and outdoorsperson and was skilled at identifying trees and birds. He spent a number of summers working in Montana, including as a wrangler in Glacier National Park and as a hunting guide in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
In 1974, he married Jean Paris near Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. Together they had three daughters. Gerald and his family lived in rural Chariton before moving to Hamilton, Montana, for several years. The family moved back to Iowa in 1980 and made their home in rural Russell, where Gerald lived for the next 42 years.Gerald was a lifelong reader and owned a business selling books about hunting and fishing. He also worked for many years as a rural mail carrier.
In recent years, he spent a portion of his time in Benson, Arizona, near his brother Tom, where they spent many hours golfing together. Although he was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, Gerald continued to live a full life, enjoying time with his family, delighting in watching his grandchildren grow, and continuing to golf nearly year-round.
He is survived by his daughters, Sarah Tupper of Marshalltown, Iowa, her husband, Mike, and their children, Abigail, Gillian, Morgan, Micah and Catherine; Anne Cantrell of Bozeman, Montana, her husband, Dan, and their daughters, Neve and Maya; and Susie De Jager of Savage, Minnesota, and her husband, Jon. He is also survived by his brother Tom, and extended family and friends.
He is predeceased by his parents; his sister, Marilyn Hall; his brother Nick Pettinger; his partner, Sandy Wilkinson; and his nephew Eric Pettinger.
Gerald will be remembered for his kindness, his sense of humor and his love for his family.
A private family memorial service is planned. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Cancer Research Institute.
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