Gerald "Jerry" F. Wild

“Jerry” Gerald F. Wild (87), passed away on Sunday January 23, 2021 due to the complications of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Jerry was a proud Colorado Native living his entire life in the Englewood/Littleton area.  Jerry joins his wife Sylvia Sue Wild who passed away in 2003.  

Born to Ferd and Vesta Wild on August 25, 1934, Jerry was part of a close-knit family in Englewood, CO living with his older brother Billy, as well as, his uncles Kenneth and Herbert Corn, and often visiting relatives in Oak Grove, MO.  A graduate of Englewood High School, Jerry was industrious with a strong work ethic he maintained well past his many efforts to retire.  As a young man he worked in stables, rode bulls in rodeo’s and eventually worked for Mountain Bell.  

His phone career was interrupted by the Korean War, where he proudly served in the US Army.  The army quickly recognized his intellectual aptitude and Jerry was selected to train with an elite unit of enlisted men stationed on the front lines, in hopes of being captured so they could send messages regarding the locations of POWs.  After being honorably discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant, Jerry returned to Colorado and resumed his career at Mountain Bell.  He would work with the phone company and its many iterations for the remainder of his career, rising from lineman to management, and from installing the very first phone lines in much of Colorado to fiber optics and the age of the internet.  

Jerry was an outdoorsman and an avid skier, he was among the first to ski Winter Park in the 1950s, and he and his buddies would snow ski all winter, and then water ski all summer making lifelong friends.  The greatest friend Jerry ever met was on one of those ski trips to Winter Park, where in 1959 he met the love of his life Sue Merritt. They were married soon after, and Jerry and Sue would go on to teach their children to ski on the slopes of Geneva Basin, Winter Park, Breckenridge and Keystone.  

Jerry and Sue were travelers and started camping at a young age, they eventually grew from tents, to a tent trailer, to a full-sized trailer, dragging their 4 children across the United States in search of adventure.  Jerry and Sue traveled to all 50 states and eventually the world, taking cruises and trips throughout Europe and the Pacific.  

A man of many hobbies, Jerry liked to work with his hands and solve complicated problems with this head.  He had a passion for cars, building “hot rods” in his youth and working on both his and his children’s cars for decades.  One of his proudest possessions was his 1957 Corvette which he purchased in 1957.  He was also an avid Volkswagen enthusiast, and rebuilt, repainted, and rewired several VWs over the years.  After his third effort at retirement Jerry kept busy by volunteering at the Telecommunications History Museum and working with his fellow Pioneers to construct “beeper balls” that allow blind athletes to play Softball.  He was passionate about volunteering and continued with both organizations well into his 80’s. 

Jerry was proud of the life he lived, the career he had, the children he raised, and he adored his wife of 43 years. He was a happy man, with a winning grin and strong hands who enjoyed working hard and telling stories usually about his many outdoor adventures.   

Jerry’s living legacy includes his children Thomas Michael Wild, John Merritt Wild, Jennifer Sue Wild, and Brian Franklin Wild, and his eight grandchildren; Lauren, Jake, Eric, Henry, Peter, Charlie, Nora and Aaron.  

A celebration of his life will be held at Drinkwine Mortuary in Littleton Colorado at 11:00AM Monday January 31, 2021.   

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Legacy West Pioneers www.legacywestpioneers.org in Jerry's name and memory. 

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