Jerome “Jerry” Francis Puckett

Jerome "Jerry" Francis Puckett, 90,
a lifelong resident of Memphis, passed away peacefully on February 24th after a brief illness.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Guy and Ella Mena "Pat" Puckett, his brother Patrick Puckett, and his wife Cynthia Byrd Puckett.

He is survived by his partner, Peggy Bryant, his brother Guy Puckett Jr, his daughters Jeri Hale (Ron), Cindy Pike (Scott), and Leslie Evleshin (Joel), his grandchildren Erin Robbins (Zach), James Pike (Jane), Summer Pike, Jacob Pike, Spencer Pike, and Joshua Pike (Laura), his great grandchildren Austin Robbins, London Robbins, and Freya Pike. He is also lovingly remembered by his extended family, including his sister in law Geri Byrd McDevitt, brother in law Roger Byrd, and niece Courtney Sage.

After graduating from Whitehaven High School and serving his community as a Whitehaven volunteer fire fighter, Jerry followed his natural curiosity and talent into a career in the television and broadcasting industries. He worked for local TV stations WKNO and WMC before becoming an audio engineer at Pepper Tanner Studios. Jerry later joined Auditronics, where he retired as their chief engineer after 30 years. There, he was responsible for designing the circuit boards that produced the consoles' distinctive sound—highly sought after by recording artists and celebrities including Isaac Hayes, The Osmonds, and John Candy.

Jerry was a loving family man whose dry, sarcastic wit and especially mischievous sense of humor brought laughter to his family, friends, and coworkers alike. An avid fisherman, he frequented his favorite fishing spots across Tennessee and Mississippi, often returning home with enough crappie or bass to feed the neighborhood. He shared numerous memorable fishing trips with his favorite brother-in-law, Roger. After retirement, Jerry enjoyed traveling with Peggy farther from home, including trips to Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas, as well as cruises to Panama, the Bahamas, and Mexico.

Outside of work, Jerry was rarely without a project, building and tinkering with all manner of electrical and mechanical devices. From assembling "home" computers in the 1980s, to perfecting his specialized ham radio equipment, to countless projects in between, Jerry found joy in creating, problem-solving, and sharing his knowledge with others.

By far, Jerry's greatest passion was amateur radio. Licensed in 1949 under the call sign W4TIL, he was a devoted ham radio operator and proud member of the Mid-South Amateur Radio Association. Over the years, he enjoyed attending HamFests and swap meets and took great pleasure in introducing amateur radio and sharing equipment with the next generations. Most nights one could find Jerry scanning the bands, chatting by voice or morse code with neighbors just down the road or fellow operators across the globe, before signing off for the night with a familiar "73."

Internment will take place in the Puckett family plot at Forest Hill Midtown cemetery in Memphis, TN.