Jerry Fitzgerald, a longtime resident of Parkrose Heights and a member of St. Rita Catholic Church, died last month.
COURTESY FITZGERALD FAMILY
Gerald “Jerry” Frederick Fitzgerald
Dec. 7, 1930–Jan. 8, 2018
Gerald “Jerry” Frederick Fitzgerald was born in Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 7, 1930, to Adeline and Joseph Fitzgerald.
When he was five years old, his family moved to Portland, Ore. He attended Holy Redeemer Catholic School and Central Catholic High School. He worked at Nicolai Door Manufacturing until he enlisted in the Air Force in 1951. In May 1952 he married Mary Lou Betz; three weeks later he was deployed to Korea for a year. On his return to Portland in 1955, he went back to work at Nicolai, where he worked for 40 years in the mill and later holding various positions in the office. His last position was head of human resources.
Jerry was preceded in death by his brothers, Joseph and Ray; sister, Irene; and son, John. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou; brother, Edward; daughters, Celinda (James McGraw), Susan (Malcolm Fylan), Marjorie (Ronald Eldredge); son, Jerry Jr.; and eight grandchildren.
Remembrances may be made to St. Rita Catholic Church. Please sign the online guestbook at oregonlive.com/obits. A service has been held.
Published previously in The Oregonian.
Charles R. Miller, Parkrose High class of 1968.
COURTESY MILLER FAMILY
Charles R. Miller
1950–2018
Charles R. Miller, 67, passed away Saturday, Jan. 13, in Anderson, SC.
Born in Portland, Ore., he was the son of the late Clyde Miller and Geraldine (Crowell) Miller. Charles graduated from Parkrose High School in 1968 and from Southern Oregon University with a Bachelor of Science in law enforcement. He completed graduate studies at the University of Oregon. In October 1973, he began working for the Eugene Police Department as a patrol officer; he was promoted to detective agent in 1979. During his 25-year career in Eugene, Charles’ assignments included patrol, SWAT, arson investigation, violent crimes, explosives disposal and field training. Upon his retirement in 1998, Charles moved to Colorado and worked for the Adams County Coroner’s Office as a deputy coroner. In 2000, Charles began working for the Colorado Rockies. He would describe this as a passion and not a job. In 2015, Charles retired again when he and his wife, Carol, bought a lake home outside of Anderson, South Carolina.
Charles lived life to the fullest. His first and foremost passion was his family. With three children, seven grandchildren and his wife, Carol, he had ample opportunity to spend time with the family he cherished. He looked forward to the annual family gathering at the beach where hours were spent playing in the waves, building sandcastles and hanging out at the pool. His seven grandchildren adored their “Poppy” and will carry memories of him and his love for them throughout their lives.
Second to his family, Charles’ next greatest passion was travel. He and Carol traveled all over the United States and internationally, including to Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Italy, Israel, Jordan, China and New Zealand. Many of these adventures were enhanced because they also included close friends in their travels. Charles also loved sports—watching them was great, but he preferred participation and enjoyed golfing, skiing, boating, camping and fly-fishing. Charles was surrounded by people who loved him and cared for him deeply. This included not just family but also many, many friends—all of whom will deeply miss this wonderful man.
Survivors include his wife, Carol Ann; three children, Ryan (Dawn), Lisa Poates (William), and Daniel Phillips; seven grandchildren, Caelem, Madeline, Alexis, Manning, McKinley, Charlie, and Kendall; brother, Gordon Miller (Melissa); and sister, Jan Hoyt.
A service has been held. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Charles may be made to Casting for Recovery (CfR) at donate.castingforrecovery.org/CM.
