Jerome Merle Wasson, 83, passed away suddenly on May 7, 2022, at his beloved home in Centralia. Jerry was the second of three children born to Merle and Catherine Wasson. Dad grew up in Spokane, WA, graduating from Gonzaga Preparatory High School excelling in football, basketball, and track. He obtained a scholarship for basketball at Gonzaga University and met our loving mother, Marilyn Nordby, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. He and our mother married on June 10, 1961. He continued his education at WSU and UW earning a master’s degree in Psychology/Sociology and Social Work. He worked as a Probation Officer with the State of Washington Juvenile Rehabilitation and retired in 1994, as the Director, then opening a private counseling business in Centralia, WA where he worked serving others for the next 15 years.
Dad enjoyed anything to do with the outdoors, especially sports. He played intramural basketball and ran marathons well into his 50s. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and boy did he enjoy golf! His greatest attributes were as a husband to our mother for 61 years and as a father to us five boys. He led by example, through his diligent hard work, his attention to detail, and in putting family first. He taught us to be loving, be fair, and strive for consistent improvement in what ever we chose to do.
Dad was preceded in death by his parents, Merle and Catherine Wasson, and his brother Grant Wasson. Jerry is survived by his loving wife Marilyn and his five sons, Chris (Gelinda) with grandchild CJ, Jason (Cami) and Blaize, Tim (Janice) with grandchildren Jake and Nate, Kevin (Darla) with grandchildren MacKenzie and Nolan, Greg (Tammy) with grandchildren Conner, Brett, and Lauren, and John (Amy) with grandchildren Cole and Von who will miss him dearly; his voice in the grandstands at sporting events, and in the background coaching them through life. He is also survived by his brother Gary Wasson. Though his death was unexpected, he had expressed he was not afraid of dying, was satisfied with his life, and wouldn’t have changed a thing. He was a Great Man and will be missed by all who knew him.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Jerome Merle Wasson, please visit our floral store.