Jerry Lee Kaiser was born July, 1, 1950 in Phillipsburg, KS, to Gus and Evelyn Kaiser. He was raised on the farm and would recall fond memories or raising and selling watermelons.
He then attended Colby Community College and found his calling to become a minister which led him to Grace College in Omaha, NB, where he met his wife, Allene Wiens. They married in her hometown of Meade, KS. They found their way to Marion, SD, where he was pastor of Bethesda Mennonite Church for 11 years. While in South Dakota, Jerry and Allene had their first and only child Matthew.
Jerry’s next pastorate was in Inman, KS, where he was the pastor at Inman Mennonite Church for 18 years. He was very involved in the community especially being a regular attendee of Ruthie’s Café for morning coffee. He would drive the same old John Deere he drove as a kid 30 years earlier to visit his church members around town. His last pastorate was in Aberdeen, ID, where he had to learn how his parishioners farmed potatoes instead of wheat. While in Idaho he enjoyed trips to the nearby Tetons with his family. His time in Aberdeen was cut short after a stroke and he then moved to be with his son, Matt, in Eugene, OR, where he enjoyed making new friends in town and the company of his grandkids. He passed away on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. Jerry is survived by his wife Allene, his sister Judy McLean, his son Matthew and daughter-in-law Hang Pham and his grandchildren, Wolfgang and Johann Kaiser.
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