Gerald Wayne Tucker, known affectionately to all his family and friends as Jerry, was born to Clifford O. Tucker and Marie Penson Tucker in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, on May 14, 1940. He was their fourth child.

He grew up on the family dairy farm in the Colburn, Idaho, area. He had a great childhood and loved going farming (not so much with the cows!)

At the age of 16 he was blessed with an overabundance of intelligence and left home. He married at 17, became a father at 18 and at 19 he moved the family back to Idaho from Marysville, Washington.

Most of his life he worked in the timber industry at sawmills, logging or driving a log truck. He made a couple trips to Alaska and was on one of the first convoys of trucks going from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. He was injured at the age of 56, never to work again. He spent the rest of his life enjoying family and grandkids.

He joined the Cocolalla Cowboy Church in 2007 and said it was the best thing he ever did. He loved his church family and was very devoted to the Lord. He named his close church friends “The Wild Bunch”. To The Wild Bunch — “Don’t quit our day trips or our loud, rowdy lunches.”

In 1957, he married Lola Moore. They had four children: Tammy, Kristy, Jo and Lori. They divorced in 1976.

He married Riley Crawford Palaniuk and helped raise her two boys, Shawn and Mark. Riley’s life was lost in a car accident caused by a drunken driver in 1990.

He married Barbara Jean Jinright; she had three children, Bryon, Alisa and Jim. They divorced in 2006.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Clifford O. Tucker and Marie Penson Tucker; his brother, Donald Tucker; grandson, Richard Dillard; granddaughter, Bobbie Ray Davis; sister-in-law, Peggy Tucker; brothers-in-law, Phil Bradetich and Clarence Hruza; and his ever faithful buddy, Max.

He is survived by his sisters, Shirley Hruza (Arizona) and Kathleen Bradetich (Coeur d’Alene); children, Tammy VanTuyl, Kristy (Bob) Davis, Juanita (Jo) Tucker, Lori (Mark) Gunther; stepchildren and adopted children, Mark (Tammy) Palaniuk, Shawn (Sherry) Palaniuk, Bryon Jinright, Alisa (Terry) Hunt, James (Kourtney) Jinright and Michelle Sharp; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Jerry’s message to everyone is: “If you don’t know Jesus, why not? Get acquainted with him now.”

Please join us for a celebration of Jerry’s life at the Cocolalla Cowboy Church on Wednesday Sept. 8, 2021, at 5 p.m. Jerry’s wish is, in lieu of flowers, a donation to his church would be wonderful.

Family and friends are invited to sign Jerry’s online guest book at www.coffeltfuneral.com.

Arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service of Sandpoint, Idaho.