Jerry Wilken

1947 - 2025

Jerry Wilken, 77, passed away peacefully with family by his side on September 21, 2025, after a battle with cancer.

Born in Lexington, Nebraska, to Calvin and Ruth Wilken. As a boy, he lived on the family farm until the 4th grade when the family moved to Corvallis, Oregon in 1958. He graduated from Corvallis High School in 1966.

In 1967, Jerry joined the US Army and served in Vietnam with the 1/5 Mechanized infantry, 25th Division, earning a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry Badge.

He married Melanie Bason in 1973. They settled in Albany, Oregon, raised their daughter Jessica, and later moved to Redmond in 2019 to be close to her.

For 40 years, Jerry and Melanie owned Wilken Photographs, a portrait studio in Albany and Lebanon.

Jerry was a pilot for 50 years with a commercial pilot's certificate. He built his own 200-mph kit airplane, flying it to Florida and Oshkosh, Wisconsin, numerous times. He was also a flight instructor helping many students earn their private pilot certificates.

Jerry was active in many civic organizations. He was president of the Lebanon Strawberry Association, board member and show announcer for the Albany Timber Carnival and president of the Oregon Pilot Association in Albany. Most recently he was a proud member of the High Desert Model A Club in Bend.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Melanie; daughter Jessica and her husband David; sister Susan Wilken; niece Emily Schlattman; and grandchildren Jackson, Amanda, and Titus. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Donald and son-in-law Daniel Meyer.

Memorials may be made to Honor Flight of Central Oregon:

www.honorflightofcentraloregon.org or mailed to PO Box 7963, Bend OR 97708.