After Jerry Silvers retired as an engineer in 2000, he kept busy as a volunteer, doing hard manual work and often traveling long distances. ‘He was there’ for anyone in need, his wife said. Family photo.
“His whole retirement was almost like a second profession at the church — being a deacon, setting up tables, serving food every Wednesday night,” said his wife, Sherry Silvers of Marietta. “Anytime anybody needed anything, he was there.”
The memorial service for Jerry Lee Silvers is 3 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta. Mr. Silvers, 76, died of cancer Wednesday at his Marietta residence. Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Silvers worked as an aeronautical engineer for 42 years, and some of that training spilled over into his personal life, his wife said.
Her co-workers would marvel at the salads he constructed for her lunch every day — each vegetable methodically sliced into perfect proportions.
He was the same way in the garden, planting everything so slowly and carefully that his wife said she’d find herself thinking, “Hurry up and just put it in the ground.”
“He was very meticulous, but his plants all lived and mine would die,” she said. “So there were certain things that he was an engineer about, but not at all in the way he dealt with people.”
That’s when Mr. Silvers relied purely on his warm instinct. He greeted friends with big hugs and smiles, and if they asked how he was doing, the answer was always “Fantastic!” — no matter how his health was.
His friend Brian Wright of Marietta said on their house-building trips to Mexico, Mr. Silvers outjoked and outworked guys 20 years his junior.
“There are certain friends in your life that are just incredibly special, and he was one of those people,” Mr. Wright said, “someone that God sends your way and all you can say is thank you. “
Part of Mr. Silvers’ energy came from his legendary love of food. He knew all the best places to stop for barbecue on long road trips and had such an amazing appetite that it was fun to watch him eat, Mr. Wright said.
And part of it was rooted deeply in his spiritual grounding.
“He had a servant’s heart,” Mr. Wright said. “He was humble, and it was never about Jerry. It was about who we were working for and glorifying God through that work.”
Mr. Silvers loved to climb Kennesaw Mountain, and he made friends along the trail for decades. In a logbook, he recorded every trip to the top. With each passing birthday, he rechallenged himself to climb the mountain for as many years as he’d been alive. He made it to the top 74 times during his 74th year, but at 75 he began to grow too sick.
After he died, his wife and sister made another climb in his honor.
“We just went right up and back down again without any trouble, even though I hadn’t really exercised,” his wife said. “But I know Jerry must have been there lifting us up.”
He is also survived by two sons, Mark Silvers and Michael Silvers, both of Marietta; two stepsons, Hal White of Birmingham and Jeff White of Denver; one brother, Wayne Silvers of Phoenix; two sisters, Carol Nealy of Forest Grove, British Columbia, and Beverly Granger of Houston; and six grandchildren.
© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
March 22, 2009
USA: “Anytime anybody needed anything, he was there.”
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ATLANTA, Georgia / The Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Metro / Obituaries / March 22, 2009
Jerry Silvers, 76, viewed retirement as a time to help others
By Holly Crenshaw
Jerry Silvers didn’t see retirement as a time to lay low and kick back.
As soon as he finished his career at Lockheed in 2000, he swung into overdrive at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta.
He helped build Habitat for Humanity houses. He repaired homes ravaged by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. He mentored seventh- and eighth-graders and jumped into church projects with a combination of humility and enthusiasm.
After Jerry Silvers retired as an engineer in 2000, he kept busy as a volunteer, doing hard manual work and often traveling long distances. ‘He was there’ for anyone in need, his wife said. Family photo.
“His whole retirement was almost like a second profession at the church — being a deacon, setting up tables, serving food every Wednesday night,” said his wife, Sherry Silvers of Marietta. “Anytime anybody needed anything, he was there.”
The memorial service for Jerry Lee Silvers is 3 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta. Mr. Silvers, 76, died of cancer Wednesday at his Marietta residence. Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Silvers worked as an aeronautical engineer for 42 years, and some of that training spilled over into his personal life, his wife said.
Her co-workers would marvel at the salads he constructed for her lunch every day — each vegetable methodically sliced into perfect proportions.
He was the same way in the garden, planting everything so slowly and carefully that his wife said she’d find herself thinking, “Hurry up and just put it in the ground.”
“He was very meticulous, but his plants all lived and mine would die,” she said. “So there were certain things that he was an engineer about, but not at all in the way he dealt with people.”
That’s when Mr. Silvers relied purely on his warm instinct. He greeted friends with big hugs and smiles, and if they asked how he was doing, the answer was always “Fantastic!” — no matter how his health was.
His friend Brian Wright of Marietta said on their house-building trips to Mexico, Mr. Silvers outjoked and outworked guys 20 years his junior.
“There are certain friends in your life that are just incredibly special, and he was one of those people,” Mr. Wright said, “someone that God sends your way and all you can say is thank you. “
Part of Mr. Silvers’ energy came from his legendary love of food. He knew all the best places to stop for barbecue on long road trips and had such an amazing appetite that it was fun to watch him eat, Mr. Wright said.
And part of it was rooted deeply in his spiritual grounding.
“He had a servant’s heart,” Mr. Wright said. “He was humble, and it was never about Jerry. It was about who we were working for and glorifying God through that work.”
Mr. Silvers loved to climb Kennesaw Mountain, and he made friends along the trail for decades. In a logbook, he recorded every trip to the top. With each passing birthday, he rechallenged himself to climb the mountain for as many years as he’d been alive. He made it to the top 74 times during his 74th year, but at 75 he began to grow too sick.
After he died, his wife and sister made another climb in his honor.
“We just went right up and back down again without any trouble, even though I hadn’t really exercised,” his wife said. “But I know Jerry must have been there lifting us up.”
He is also survived by two sons, Mark Silvers and Michael Silvers, both of Marietta; two stepsons, Hal White of Birmingham and Jeff White of Denver; one brother, Wayne Silvers of Phoenix; two sisters, Carol Nealy of Forest Grove, British Columbia, and Beverly Granger of Houston; and six grandchildren.
© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After Jerry Silvers retired as an engineer in 2000, he kept busy as a volunteer, doing hard manual work and often traveling long distances. ‘He was there’ for anyone in need, his wife said. Family photo.
“His whole retirement was almost like a second profession at the church — being a deacon, setting up tables, serving food every Wednesday night,” said his wife, Sherry Silvers of Marietta. “Anytime anybody needed anything, he was there.”
The memorial service for Jerry Lee Silvers is 3 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta. Mr. Silvers, 76, died of cancer Wednesday at his Marietta residence. Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Silvers worked as an aeronautical engineer for 42 years, and some of that training spilled over into his personal life, his wife said.
Her co-workers would marvel at the salads he constructed for her lunch every day — each vegetable methodically sliced into perfect proportions.
He was the same way in the garden, planting everything so slowly and carefully that his wife said she’d find herself thinking, “Hurry up and just put it in the ground.”
“He was very meticulous, but his plants all lived and mine would die,” she said. “So there were certain things that he was an engineer about, but not at all in the way he dealt with people.”
That’s when Mr. Silvers relied purely on his warm instinct. He greeted friends with big hugs and smiles, and if they asked how he was doing, the answer was always “Fantastic!” — no matter how his health was.
His friend Brian Wright of Marietta said on their house-building trips to Mexico, Mr. Silvers outjoked and outworked guys 20 years his junior.
“There are certain friends in your life that are just incredibly special, and he was one of those people,” Mr. Wright said, “someone that God sends your way and all you can say is thank you. “
Part of Mr. Silvers’ energy came from his legendary love of food. He knew all the best places to stop for barbecue on long road trips and had such an amazing appetite that it was fun to watch him eat, Mr. Wright said.
And part of it was rooted deeply in his spiritual grounding.
“He had a servant’s heart,” Mr. Wright said. “He was humble, and it was never about Jerry. It was about who we were working for and glorifying God through that work.”
Mr. Silvers loved to climb Kennesaw Mountain, and he made friends along the trail for decades. In a logbook, he recorded every trip to the top. With each passing birthday, he rechallenged himself to climb the mountain for as many years as he’d been alive. He made it to the top 74 times during his 74th year, but at 75 he began to grow too sick.
After he died, his wife and sister made another climb in his honor.
“We just went right up and back down again without any trouble, even though I hadn’t really exercised,” his wife said. “But I know Jerry must have been there lifting us up.”
He is also survived by two sons, Mark Silvers and Michael Silvers, both of Marietta; two stepsons, Hal White of Birmingham and Jeff White of Denver; one brother, Wayne Silvers of Phoenix; two sisters, Carol Nealy of Forest Grove, British Columbia, and Beverly Granger of Houston; and six grandchildren.
© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
