Gerald Robert Mitchell

Gerald Robert Mitchell was born on July 20, 1940, in Priest River, Idaho, to Sheldon and Audrey Doolittle Mitchell. He died at home on Sept. 2, 2016.

He married Gladys Sanborn 1958 and had three kids; Kim, Kevin, and Teri. In 1984, he married Kathy Alderson December 29, 1984, in Missoula, Mont.

He lived and died his way, which was the only way to do things.

Jerry started working in the woods at 17 for various gypos; lure of the woods made him quit school to make the big bucks, giving up boxing and football scholarships. He worked hard and lived hard during all of his life; working all the jobs in the woods — falling, bucking, skidding, road building, running cat … road construction was his favorite. Jerry loved helping his dad work on his truck but hated driving truck.

He worked for LP for 15 years as road crew boss. He lived all of his life in Priest River except a short stint on the coast and five years in Montana working for Mick Bailey Logging and Darby Lumber Company as an outside operations manager for all logging and road building crews. Always telling about the roads that he built for LP and working on Highway 2 in the rock cuts and dynamiting and widening Dead Man’s Curve on Highway 2.

You could not go hunting without driving on one of the logging roads that he built and hearing the story of it. He started his own business JK&M Construction in 1993, being a gypo logger and road builder. He got hurt and major surgery in 2005 caused his retirement.

He loved gardening and working in the flowerbeds, lake fishing and hunting mule deer on Hughes Ridge and his various German shepherd dogs. After his retirement, he became the chief cook and bottle washer and home shop chief a job he very much loved. Very proud that he drew a moose tag and bagged Bullwinkle; which was exactly what he wanted. He loved his family and family get-togethers.

Jerry is survived by wife Kathy; brother Wallace Mitchell; sons, Kevin (Cindy) Mitchell of Osborn, Idaho, and Todd Alderson (Carrie) of Priest River; daughters Kim Imhoff (Tim) of Montesano, Wash., Teri (Randy) Hart, of Boise, Idaho, and Amy (Mohan) Paundlay of Stratford, Conn; brother-in-law and best friend for 60 years, Claude (Shorty) Graham and Lloyd Reynolds and 18 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two buns in the oven. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Janice Reynolds and (his other pea-in-the-pod) Sharon Graham; eight nieces and nephews and numerous great- and great-grand and great-great-grandnieces and nephews.

Graveside services at Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m. His last hurrah will be at his home at 1235 Bodie Canyon Road, Priest River.

Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Priest River is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guest book at sherman-knapp.com.