Gerald W. Moose

GERALD WILLIAM MOOSE was born on February 2, 1925, to William and Florence (Johannsen) Moose in Lake County, South Dakota. He was raised in Madison, South Dakota, where he attended and graduated from Madison Central High School. Throughout his youth he enjoyed participating in sports and was an avid fan his entire life. As a young adult, he played amateur baseball with the Madison Broncos. In May of 1943, he enlisted with the United States Army. He proudly served his country in World War II, including fighting at the Battle of the Bulge. On June 10, 1944, Jerry was united in marriage to Zora McKinney in Henderson, Kentucky. Jerry was honorably discharged in March of 1946 and returned to South Dakota to attend General Beadle State Teachers College, which later became Dakota State University. Jerry worked at Montgomery Ward in Madison before and while he earned his teaching degree. He then began his teaching career at Franklin High School in rural Madison. He taught English and coached the basketball team. Jerry and Zora then moved to Buhl, Minnesota and later Hastings, Minnesota where he taught English. He earned his Master’s degree from Bemidji State. For many years Jerry and his wife enjoyed spending summers at their cabin on Little Wolf Lake near Cass Lake, Minnesota. Following the death of his wife in 2005, he moved to Pipestone, Minnesota. In September of 2014 Jerry became a resident of the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne, Minnesota, where on Wednesday, December 10, 2014, he died peacefully at the age of 89 years, ten months and eight days.

Jerry will be lovingly remembered by his sister, Sandy Moose of Jasper, Minnesota; and two nieces, Barb Schmidt and her husband Mike of Denison, Iowa and Jana Havlovic and her husband, Michael of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was preceded in death by his wife, Zora; his parents, William and Florence; a brother, Ralph Moose; sister-in-law, Joyce Moose; and his mother and father-in-law, George and Lulu McKinney.

Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery in Madison, South Dakota.