Gerald E. "Jerry" Woodcock
Gerald E. "Jerry" Woodcock
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Beloved husband of Ruth M. (nee Curtis) Woodcock, whom he married on February 7, 1958, devoted father of the late Gary (Elizabeth) Woodcock, Gregg (Cindy) Woodcock of Sachse, TX and Geoff (Natalie) Woodcock of Los Gatos, CA, adored grandfather of Lauren (Alex) Vanderbilt, Megan (Jonathan) Cox and Noah (Lindsay) Woodcock; Ian, Rylan, Jerry, Walter and Eden, cherished great-grandfather of Winston Cox, devoted son of the late Gerald and Helen (nee Bennett) Woodcock, dear brother of the late Larry (Carol) Woodcock, fond brother-in-law, uncle, great-uncle, great-great uncle and friend of many.
Jerry grew up in Downers Grove, IL and was a graduate of Downers Grove High School. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from Utah State University, Logan, UT, and a law degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Jerry served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956-1979, retiring as a Colonel. He served as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War and was a recipient of the Purple Heart medal. Jerry was Chief of Flight Test in Ogden, UT, and a test pilot for Air Asia in Taiwan. After his retirement from the military, Jerry was employed as a Captain for Midway Airlines and later worked in the Will County State's Attorney Office in Joliet, IL.
Jerry had a lifelong interest in aviation, at one point built his own airplane and was a member of The Quiet Birdmen (QBs), an exclusive club of male aviators. He was also a member of Shriners Hospital International.
A visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville.
Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jerry's name may be made to:
Shriners Children's, Attn: Shriners Children's, PO Box 947765, Atlanta, GA 30394, 855-401-4897, https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en
For more information, please call (630) 355-0213 or visit www.friedrich-jones.com
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Gerald, please visit our floral store.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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44 South Mill Street, Naperville, IL 60540
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