Jerol A. Rademacher, 75, of Julesburg, Colorado, died Dec. 1, 2024, at the North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colorado.
Cremation was chosen, and a memorial service will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Julesburg United Methodist Church with Pastor Aaron McClellan officiating. Interment of ashes will take place following services at Hillside Cemetery in Julesburg. Online
Condolences may be left at www.prairiehillsfuneralhomejulesburg.com.
Jerol (Doc) was born Jan. 27, 1949 in Worthington, Minnesota to Alvin and Bertha Rademacher. He was raised on the family farm in Minnesota until the summer of 1965 when the family relocated to Loveland, Colorado. He graduated from Loveland High School in 1967 and entered the Navy in October of that year. His service career began in the San Diego boot camp and progressed to the Naval Training Center in New Jersey. From there, Jerol was stationed at the Naval Air base in Newfoundland, Canada, as a radiosonic operator.
He met and married Jane Bergstrom in December 1971, and to this union, he gave life to three wonderful children - daughters Sarah and Amy, along with his son Jay.
Jerol followed his naval service career with a college degree in Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University. Doc and the family eventually settled in Winside, Nebraska, where he became the sole owner of an animal clinic. This endeavor found him doctoring animals and chasing kids for nearly 26 years. At this time, he decided he needed a change and obtained a veterinary inspection position with USDA. His travels included northeast Nebraska and eventually shifted to Greeley, Colorado, and the surrounding area. The separation was hard for him, as his family has always been his pride and joy, second to serving his Lord and Savior.
In 2010, Jerol married Nancy Lanckriet of Julesburg and has resided there since then. His work schedule still had him traveling to the Greeley area until his retirement in 2018.
Jerry had several passions besides his love of animals and personal family pets. He was an avid fisherman and, during his entire life, enjoyed trips, especially to Leech Lake and others in Colorado and Minnesota. His “liar poker” buddies were near and dear to his heart, and he loved returning home with a few of their hard-earned dollars. He kept track of his winnings but reminded Nancy on some days, that HE had to buy the coffee. His handiwork included carving cowboy caricatures and tying fish flies! He wanted to always be ready for the next season.
We cannot write of his life without including his beloved ’31 Chevy. He convinced his brother-in-law, Ron, to get it operational, then entertained his friends with stories and pictures to his delight.
Survivors include his wife, Nancy, of Julesburg; daughters Sarah (Rod) Schwartz of Pierce, and Amy Rademacher of Norfolk; son, Jay (Kyla) Rademacher of Norwalk, Iowa; sisters Loraine (Francis) Kuemper of Worthington, Minnesota and Ruth Ihren of Lake Park, Iowa; six grandchildren, Braden, Brecken, Brynn, Lauryn, Gabe, and Josiah: four bonus children, Darin, Garrett, Kyle, and Amber and their families and as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.
