April 30, 1936 – June 16, 2021
Jerry Ottinger, born April 30, 1936, age 85, passed away peacefully on June 16, 2021, with his wife of 62 years, Judy by his side. A near-lifelong resident of Sheridan, he was the son of Herbert and Maxine Ottinger.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Judy Stoops Ottinger; his daughter, Jody Ottinger Jessup (Sheridan) and his son, Greg Ottinger (Noblesville). Jody and her husband, Chris, have two daughters, Taylor Jessup Newblom and her husband Sam (Carmel), and Erin Jessup (Indianapolis). Greg and his wife, Mari Jankowski Ottinger, have two sons, Austin Ottinger (Carmel) and Neal Ottinger (West Lafayette). Jerry is also survived by his sister, Jenny Ottinger Camp and her husband, Jim (Noblesville) and their three children, Chip Camp and wife, Angie, Andy Camp, and Deedra Camp Henning and husband, Bernie. Jerry is also survived by several great-nephews and great-nieces.
Jerry graduated from Sheridan High School in 1954. He was selected as a member of the National FFA Livestock Judging Team. He also won a National Farmstead Improvement Award for 4-H which landed the whole family on the cover of Successful Farming Magazine in 1957. Jerry attended the Purdue Agricultural Short Course two-year program after high school and remained in close contact with Purdue as he began his farming career upon the return of his two-year enlistment in the U.S. Navy in 1959.
Jerry and Judy were married on October 3, 1959. Jerry and Judy began farming with Maxine and Herbert on their dairy and grain farm known as Harmony Acres in Sheridan. Jerry worked closely with Purdue University to grow and modernize the farm into a hog and grain operation, which at its peak was producing over 6,000 head of farrow to finish hogs and grain farm planting and harvesting nearly 1,500 acres of owned and rented land. The farm became known as Ottinger Livestock Farms in the 70s.
Other than farming and family, one of Jerry’s lifetime passions was traveling. His enlistment in the Navy during peacetime operations allowed him to see a big chunk of the world including Greece, Italy, Spain, and many Middle Eastern countries. An avid photographer, he had the slide shows to prove it. He and Judy continued to travel via awards won through a feed vendor. They were able to visit Hawaii, England, Canada, and Mexico. Camping and traveling with the family when the kids were young was also an annual vacation activity. Later he and Judy went nearly cross country on an extended trip in their motor home and over the years, they have visited all 50 states including Alaska.
Jerry also had a passion early in his life for flying airplanes and model airplanes early on which later led to a passion for collecting and displaying model trains. You can find an entire room in his new attached garage devoted to model trains. In addition, he became an avid cycling fan and enjoyed biking trails as they traveled in their motor home bringing their bicycles along. He was also a water skier, and the family enjoyed many trips to the local lakes boating and camping.
He was a member of the Sheridan First United Methodist Church, and worshiped with his wife at Bethel Lutheran Church in Noblesville. He was also a member of the Indiana Pork Producers and the Country Gentlemen Farm Club.
Above all, Jerry was a devout family man. He was devoted to his parents and grandparents. He was also a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He will be dearly missed by them all.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday evening, June 21, 2021, at Kercheval Funeral Home, 306 E. 10th St., Sheridan.
Funeral Services were held on Tuesday afternoon, June 22, 2021, at Bethel Lutheran Church, 20650 Cumberland Road, Noblesville, with visitation from 1 p.m. until the time of service.
Burial will follow at Cicero Cemetery in Cicero.
Condolences: kerchevalfuneralhome.com