Jerry Duane Oakes
April 11, 1931 - August 6, 2025
Ellen DeVere Bechtold Oakes
January 10, 1931 - August 16, 2025
Jerry Oakes and his wife of nearly 72 years, DeVere Bechtold Oakes, passed away ten days apart in August 2025, both at the age of 94. Born in Indiana and Hoosiers to the core, Jerry and DeVere were living in Farmington, CT at the time of their deaths.
Jerry was born on April 11, 1931 in Anderson, Indiana to Charles (Charlie) Oakes and Louise Fisher Oakes. He was the middle of three children, with an older brother Paul and a younger sister Barbara. He loved baseball, basketball, hiking, biking, and travel, always up for an adventure. Jerry's work was always in some form of sales, and he excelled at the dying art of getting to know customers and finding out how he could best serve them. He was an avid reader and loved to be part of discussion groups on topics related to religion and spirituality. He was generous with his money, possessions and words of encouragement. He'd give you anything and do anything for you-even in his later years, when Parkinson's Disease was taking its toll, he would offer to carry your luggage and want to know how everyone in the family was doing. His spirit was strong and he had a cheerful outlook to the end.
Ellen (who went by her middle name DeVere) was born on January 10, 1931 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Royal Bechtold Sr. and Ellen Van Voorst Bechtold. When she was quite young, her family moved to Anderson and there she met Jerry while in high school. She and her adored older brother Royal Jr. lost their father when DeVere was just nine years old, but she was always surrounded by loving family who were very important to her. DeVere was whip-smart and could have done anything at all she chose to, and her choice was the domestic sphere, including extensive volunteer work wherever she and Jerry lived after they married in 1953. She also loved to read and travel and was an avid crafter. She made all sorts of things in her workshop, often in the company of dear friends.
Jerry and DeVere lived in Florida, Minnesota, Illinois, Virginia, and Connecticut, and traveled widely in the U.S. and Europe. They had two daughters, Dianne Louise Oakes Pierce and Jennifer Ellen Oakes Crawford. Dianne and her husband Joey have two children, Lauren and David, and four grandchildren, Christopher, Kaiden, Arthur and Lewis. Jennifer and her husband George have one daughter, Isabelle.
The Oakes touched many lives with their generosity and kindness. Their neighborliness was legend. They created community and life-long friendships and, to this day, friends and relatives remember them for helping them at a tough time in their lives or for orchestrating a fun adventure.
Because Jerry and DeVere loved classical music, nature, libraries, their church communities, and causes that lift people into better lives, if you are moved to do so, please make a donation in their memory to the Norfolk Church of Christ (https://norfolkucc.org/) or the Norfolk Library (https://norfolklibrary.org/) in Norfolk, CT or Habitat for Humanity, the Nature Conservancy, or the Garth Newell Music Center in Virginia (https://www.garthnewel.org/).
April 11, 1931 - August 6, 2025
Ellen DeVere Bechtold Oakes
January 10, 1931 - August 16, 2025
Jerry Oakes and his wife of nearly 72 years, DeVere Bechtold Oakes, passed away ten days apart in August 2025, both at the age of 94. Born in Indiana and Hoosiers to the core, Jerry and DeVere were living in Farmington, CT at the time of their deaths.
Jerry was born on April 11, 1931 in Anderson, Indiana to Charles (Charlie) Oakes and Louise Fisher Oakes. He was the middle of three children, with an older brother Paul and a younger sister Barbara. He loved baseball, basketball, hiking, biking, and travel, always up for an adventure. Jerry's work was always in some form of sales, and he excelled at the dying art of getting to know customers and finding out how he could best serve them. He was an avid reader and loved to be part of discussion groups on topics related to religion and spirituality. He was generous with his money, possessions and words of encouragement. He'd give you anything and do anything for you-even in his later years, when Parkinson's Disease was taking its toll, he would offer to carry your luggage and want to know how everyone in the family was doing. His spirit was strong and he had a cheerful outlook to the end.
Ellen (who went by her middle name DeVere) was born on January 10, 1931 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Royal Bechtold Sr. and Ellen Van Voorst Bechtold. When she was quite young, her family moved to Anderson and there she met Jerry while in high school. She and her adored older brother Royal Jr. lost their father when DeVere was just nine years old, but she was always surrounded by loving family who were very important to her. DeVere was whip-smart and could have done anything at all she chose to, and her choice was the domestic sphere, including extensive volunteer work wherever she and Jerry lived after they married in 1953. She also loved to read and travel and was an avid crafter. She made all sorts of things in her workshop, often in the company of dear friends.
Jerry and DeVere lived in Florida, Minnesota, Illinois, Virginia, and Connecticut, and traveled widely in the U.S. and Europe. They had two daughters, Dianne Louise Oakes Pierce and Jennifer Ellen Oakes Crawford. Dianne and her husband Joey have two children, Lauren and David, and four grandchildren, Christopher, Kaiden, Arthur and Lewis. Jennifer and her husband George have one daughter, Isabelle.
The Oakes touched many lives with their generosity and kindness. Their neighborliness was legend. They created community and life-long friendships and, to this day, friends and relatives remember them for helping them at a tough time in their lives or for orchestrating a fun adventure.
Because Jerry and DeVere loved classical music, nature, libraries, their church communities, and causes that lift people into better lives, if you are moved to do so, please make a donation in their memory to the Norfolk Church of Christ (https://norfolkucc.org/) or the Norfolk Library (https://norfolklibrary.org/) in Norfolk, CT or Habitat for Humanity, the Nature Conservancy, or the Garth Newell Music Center in Virginia (https://www.garthnewel.org/).
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