Jerry Eaton

Jerry Eldon Eaton, age 74, of Appleton, Wisconsin, passed away on October 9, 2025. He was born on August 28, 1951, in Rushville, Nebraska. The family moved to Huron, South Dakota in 1967 and then to Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 1969, when Jerry was 18. Jerry graduated from Eau Claire North High School and Chippewa Valley Technical College with a degree in wood techniques. Jerry retired as a foreman from Eau Claire Menards manufacturing. Recently he was employed as a Security Guard at the Appleton Airport and was very proud of the work he did there.

Throughout his life, Jerry enjoyed the adventures of the outdoors — fishing in his bass boat, trapshooting, hunting in his native Nebraska, and later tending to his garden at home. As a talented woodworker, Jerry found great joy in crafting toys for his niece and nephews, along with many other furniture projects involving intricate wood inlays. Jerry was an avid bowler participating in leagues and tournaments with his family and friends. Jerry loved music and played guitar from a young age, later he loved sharing praise to all about his talented wife's singing voice. Jerry had many passions but pool shooting was a staple in his life. Jerry grew up shooting challenging pool games with his brothers and Dad in their basement and he continued that tradition in his own home basement. He was very happy with the quality and abundance of pool friends he found in the Appleton area; the challenging players gave him great joy during his retirement years.

On September 30, 2017, Jerry married Jean Jellison, they met online in a pool shooting site in 2011. Jerry fell in love, soon relocating to Appleton to be with Jean. They built a house and a life together. This time of his life was filled with absolute happiness until her passing on September 27, 2018.

Jerry was an extremely kind man and enjoyed helping people whenever he could. His generosity and steady nature left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him. He will be remembered for his kind heart, willingness to help others, his stubborn enthusiasm and the creativity he brought to everything he built and cared for.

Jerry is survived by his brother, William (Susan) Eaton; nephews, Eric (Katie) Eaton and Deren (Ashley) Eaton; and niece, Cassandra Beran. He is further survived by his friend Deborah Konetzke; along with six great-nieces and nephews. Jerry was preceded in death by his wife Jean; his parents Eldon and Patricia Eaton; his younger brother Mickey Eaton; his nephew William Eaton; his beloved pets: Blacky, his childhood cat, and Smokey, his faithful dog.

Please join us for a Celebration of Life party on Saturday, October 25th, 2025, from 12:00 pm until 3:00 pm. We will celebrate with a lunch in the Auditorium at Beaver Creek Reserve Wise Nature Center, where Jerry will be surrounded by the outdoors and animals that he loved. At 2:00 pm, there will be a remembrance, and guests are welcome to share their stories of how Jerry touched their lives. Beaver Creek Reserve is located at S1 County Hwy K, Fall Creek, WI 54742. A prayer ceremony will follow at 4:00 pm at Calvary Cemetery mausoleum, where Jerry and Jean will be interred near other family members dear to our hearts.