Jerry Vernon Glover

MUFFLER JERRY
1937 - 2008



Jerry Vernon Glover was born on December 14, 1937, in Paso Robles, California. He died from a massive stroke at Lompoc Hospital in the early morning hours of June 7, 2008 at 70 years of age.

Jerry was a life-long resident of the Central Coast and grew up in Paso Robles, Atascadero, and San Miguel, where his Uncle Manny taught him mechanical skill at an early age, and where his mother taught him how to weld. After serving in the Navy, Jerry returned to the Central Coast, where he acquired a muffler shop known as the House of Sound in San Luis Obispo.

Jerry settled in Lompoc in 1969, where he was given the nickname Muffler Jerry. With mechanical expertise spanning bumper to bumper, Jerry was a participant in the early days of drag racing. He bought the makings of a dragster from his long-time friend, Jack Childers, installed the finishing touches in his garage on Date Street, and drove "The Baby Rat" at Santa Maria Drag Strip, Lions Drag Strip, and countless other venues across the State. Unable to confine his mechanical affection to any one area and unwilling to be like anyone else, Jerry built several choppers in the same Date Street garage. Jerry could build anything out of metal and even used his fabrication skills to produce several sculptures and other works of art.

Jerry moved to Mission Hills in 1975, and opened Jerry's Muffler in 1978. Jerry built many machines in his Mission Hills garage and, after being introduced to the sand dunes, immediately set out to build something that would not only conquer any hill, but would conquer it faster than anyone else. Using his fabrication skills, he built many dune buggies from muffler tubing, but his masterpiece was a green 1970 Chevrolet truck that became a local legend. Jerry returned to his love of motorcycles by building his "1981" Pan Head, and then joined his long-time friends by becoming a proud member of the Bravados MC, who and remained his family and loyal friends for many years. After 20 years at the same location, Jerry retired and closed Jerry's Muffler in 1998.

Jerry is survived by his children Jerry, Sami, Kim, Lisa, and Donnie, and the entire Central Coast. Services will be held on Friday, June 13, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. at Starbuck-Lind Mortuary, 123 North A Street in Lompoc.