Kerry Vickers

1950 - 2021

Kerry Vickers
January 24, 1950 - February 1, 2021
Kerry Dana Vickers was born to Thelma and Louie Vickers January 24, 1950 in Malheur Memorial Hospital in Nyssa, Oregon. Kerry was the fifth of five boys. It was always difficult to explain to everyone that even though the last two sons were born in Nyssa that we had always lived in Parma, Idaho and were one day residents of Oregon. It was really simple. Caldwell was fourteen miles from Parma and Nyssa was six. It caused all types of problems when we went into military service. We had to get our passports from Salem and Oregon was credited with our service. Kerry grew up in a two room railroad bunkhouse with five brothers and their parents. We had a cold water tap and a path to the outhouse. In Parma you had the two side of the tracks but we lived on the tracks, literally. When the trains went by it would shake everything, but it became a familiar and relaxing event. There was always something to do. Funny things like digging up the remnants of a hot box. The axels on the train cars had a box to lubricate the axels at the wheels which contained lead impregnated grease. When the lubricant broke down they would catch fire and the crews would clean them out and bury them. We would dig them up and recover the lead which we would melt down and put into molds for fishing sinkers. Kerry loved hunting and fishing from the sloughs of the Boise River for bass to Salmon fishing on the South Fork of the Salmon River. When he was very young he would go duck and pheasant hunting with his father and older brothers. Being young and small, when they came to a stream or drain, he could not jump across so they would pick him up by the collar and belt and throw him across. This did not discourage him from getting up at six on a cold winter morning to go hunting. However getting up to go to school was not his favorite thing. This might have been the result of having four brothers precede him with the "Vickers" reputation. Many teachers had taught all five brothers and Kerry had those obstacles to overcome but he did graduate from Parma High School in 1968.
Kerry was a good worker and he liked making money. After graduation he worked with friends bucking and hauling hay until getting drafted was inevitable. He joined the Air Force and spent the next twenty years traveling the U.S. and the world. While stationed at Hill Air Force Base in Utah he met Sherrie and they were later married. Kerry did a tour in Vietnam stationed on Monkey Mountain outside of Da Nang. Sherrie accompanied Kerry to Clark Air Force Base Philippines, NATO assignment in Naples, Italy, and Frankfurt, Germany. His last assignment in the Air Force was the NSA at Fort Meade, Maryland.
They came back to Idaho and settled in Nampa. They were later divorced. Kerry worked a number of jobs including office machinery repair and became a guard at the State Prison. He resigned from the prison stating that he could not stand the cruelty that the guards subjected the prisoners to. He finally found a niche he enjoyed. Bus driving for Brown Bus Co. in Nampa. He had a great rapport with the young kids and they paid attention and minded him. He also transported athletic teams, bands and organizations such as FFA. He particularly enjoyed taking the FFA kids to Moscow, ID.
Subsequent to his divorce, he met and married Terrie. Even though they later divorced, there was a strong relationship and Kerry was always very protective of Terrie. When Kerry became ill with mantle cell lymphoma, Terrie was always their even when she had other burdens. For over two years Terrie became Kerry's primary caretaker for which the family will be eternally grateful.
Kerry was preceded in death by both parents and brothers Kay and Kenny. He is survived by brothers Keith and Kirby (Cheryl). He is also survived by a huge extended family with whom he was very close.
A private interment will take place at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery.