Gerald D. “Jerry” Aksamit

Gerald Dale “Jerry” Aksamit

Gerald Dale ‘Jerry’ Aksamit was born December 1, 1934 in Crete, Nebraska and departed this life on July 16, 2024 at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas, at the age of 89 years, 7 months and 15 days.

He was the final child and third son of Emil and Alice (Pecka) Aksamit.

Jerry spent his youth growing up in Crete, Nebraska, worked as a photographers assistant as a teenager, played athletics and graduated from Crete High School. After graduation Jerry proudly served his country in the United States Air Force for 4 years, joining with his brother Bob who vouched for him being of age, although he was too young by a few months, to legally join the armed services at the time.

On Sunday, April 7, 1957, Jerry and his brother Bob happened to drive through Cleveland, MO, from a jobsite in Osawatomie, KS – hoping to purchase some legal beer in Missouri to continue their weekend adventures. They stopped at the Blue Room Café, owned by RD and Edith Jacobs, his future in-laws, just down the street here in Cleveland. There he was introduced to the owner’s daughter, Beverly June Jacobs, and it was “love at first sight”.

Cleveland’s switchboard operator, Hazel Cravens, June’s aunt, caught wind of where they came from and presupposed they might be handsome escapees from Osawatomie psychiatric hospital out on a Sunday joy ride. The rumor quickly spread across the telephone party lines of the time. June was related to nearly half the populace in town. Jerry made it back to Cleveland every late afternoon, the next week, to visit June.

Six days later, after a whirlwind courtship, on April 13, 1957, Jerry and June eloped and were united in marriage in Miami, Oklahoma. After their marriage they lived in several locations, as young couples sometimes are prone to do.  Wichita, KS, Cleveland, MO, Omaha and Lincoln, NE were their temporary residences for their first 5 years, until returning here to Cleveland to settle down and make their home, very close to June’s parents. Jerry lived in the house he helped to design and build in 1963. June and Jerry were married for 56 years before Beverly’s passing on June 12, 2013.

In 1962, Jerry was recruited to work for what was then a fledgling Federal Aviation Administration. He worked for the FAA for over 30 years, retiring in January of 1993. He rose through the ranks to eventually become the chief technician/engineer/manager over the ARTS (Air Radar Traffic Systems). He was well liked and respected by his team of over 40 other highly skilled technicians who helped keep the radar and microwave systems working for the nation’s evolving flying transportation services. Many of these men started their own careers in 1960-63. They all became good friends who came in together, socialized frequently outside of work and trusted one another. A few, Jerry knew growing up in Crete together.

Jerry enjoyed baseball and passed the love of this sport and competitiveness to all three of his sons. He coached his boys in his backyard, drilling them in basic ball skills nightly during spring and summer months. Knowing his sons wanted to play team baseball, he took it upon himself to help organize a league with other like-minded fathers in all of the larger towns of this county. June was the score keeper as she too, was a competitive, talented athlete and played sports herself.  The local school district did not offer baseball as an official sport, nor did any of the other 9 towns/schools in this loosely organized league. Other fathers in those towns did the same thing that Jerry did. They sacrificed their free time for their boys and their son’s friends to enjoy the game of friendly, competitive baseball. Some of you here today, will recall those summers, that’s how you knew Coach Aksamit.

Jerry would go on to instruct all of his sons and their school friends for many years in the 1960s and 70s. Later on, in the 1980’s, Jerry himself played competitive softball in a league he was instrumental in organizing for the FAA teams in Oklahoma City area. The FAA would send their employees to Lawton, OK for 4 to 12 weeks each year beginning in 1972 to 1988. All of those young men would play ball together, as a way to help enjoy their extended time away from their families across the nation. A beer or three might’ve been enjoyed.

Jerry was very active in the Cleveland community, serving on the city council and also twice as mayor. He took care of the water department in Cleveland for many years, helping to provide clean drinking water for the town. During the time his sons were students at Cass-Midway, Jerry, along with other fathers, assisted in helping to build bleachers, lay sod, create and groom baseball diamonds, and record statistics for the Viking football teams of the late 70s and early 80s. He was an active member of the Midway Booster Club and, in his later, retired years, he was a active member of V.F.W. Post #7348 of Louisburg, Kansas – making sure fallen soldiers in cemeteries around the county received their flags and honors yearly.

Jerry’s first love was fishing in Minnesota with both of his brothers, his brother-in-law and their families. It became an annual tradition for all of his family to trek to West Central Minnesota the first weeks of June, each year for one to two weeks to get in on the spawn of bass, pike, crappie and walleye. Spending time with their families was priority number one, with June and Jerry just as it was for his brothers and sister. Many of you here today, form the tapestry of his vacation getaways. Who else had it better than us?

A proud bohunk, he was also an avid Kansas City Chiefs, Royals and Kings fan. And, he was a Cornhusker first and foremost. Go Big Red! Which tortured his wife, a Missouri Tiger fan, nearly annually.

Jerry was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. After Beverly’s passing, he often remarked to his sons, that his love of his entire family is what gave him the will to keep living.

In addition to his wife, Beverly June; Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Emil and Alice Aksamit; his  sister, Norma Jordan, his older brothers, Donald and Robert Aksamit. Their wives, Janet, Joyce and Ruth and husband Glenn were lifelong friends as well as were Ronnie and Janice Hibbert and sister-in-law Shirley Kay Russell – all were counted as those closest to his heart.

He is survived by three sons, Jonnie Aksamit and wife Dani of Harrisonville, Missouri. Jeff Aksamit and Joel Aksamit and wife Dana, also of Cleveland, Missouri; one sister-in-law, Shirley Kay Russell of Independence, Missouri; 5 grandchildren, Holly Simon and husband Tyson of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Alisha Dewberry of Springfield, Missouri, Katie Mongold and husband Jamie of Belton, Missouri, Dale Aksamit and wife Katryn of Richmond, Missouri and Emily Dahman and husband Clay of Peculiar, Missouri; 10 Great-Grandchildren, numerous other nieces, nephews, their families and many friends. We love and cherish you all.

The family of Jerry Aksamit will receive friends from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Saturday, August 10, 2024 at the First Baptist Church of Cleveland, Missouri. A Celebration of Life Service will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor Charles D. Kaighen officiating. Inurnment will be in the Glenwild Cemetery, beside his beloved wife.