GERALD ARTHUR "JERRY" CONLEY, 81, of Cherokee, Iowa passed away Saturday morning, July 1, 2017.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, July 8th, at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee, Iowa. Rev. Cris Decious will officiate. There will be a family prayer service at 10:15 a.m. at the Church on Saturday. Visitation will be on Friday, July 7th at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the family present from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. It was Jerry's wish to be cremated. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

Jerry was born on June 13, 1936 to Harold Arthur Conley and L. Mae (Sargent) Conley at their farm home near Quimby, Iowa. He attended his early years in country schools and graduated from Aurelia High School in 1954. He graduated from Iowa State College in 1958; then started teaching vocational Agriculture and FFA at Palmer, Iowa. For the following three years he taught in his home town of Aurelia.

Jerry and Frances Jean "Micky" Patterson were married on October 4, 1958 at the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Cherokee. Micky only had one year of college at Iowa State; Jerry supported her in 5 more years of schooling. "Don't just give a man a fish – teach him to fish." Jerry and Micky were blessed with three children and three grandchildren. They were also blessed with life and work in the farm country.

After a few years of teaching, farming, and raising sheep and hogs, and dairying; 1965 was a year of change in location and job. Jerry became a salesman for FELCO in the Spencer area. The year 1970 held another move back to Cherokee area as a Sales Rep for Land-O-Lakes. This led to a move up to Consultant for the Iowa Farm Business Association. Rubbing shoulders with about 190 farmers and farm records was education for both and full time farming began in 1979. The emphasis was on crops, stock cows and pork production. 1986 held the honor of Master Pork Producers for the Conley's. Jerry was one of the originators and leaders of the Earl Mobley Pork Seminar and Professional Crop Seminar. He also taught an Agriculture class for veterans. Due to his interest in finances, he led the Cherokee County Taxpayers Association.

Jerry felt a passion for farming but his major love was for his family, especially as they gathered around "The Yellow Table" for information, stories, food and fun. He said "Farming is my golf" but Goldwing motorcycles, comfortable motor homes for "snow birding" and trips were a pleasure. Taking the family to Disneyland and then to several National Parks were highlights!

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents Harold and Mae Conley; his brother Don Conley; his in-laws Ralph and Martha Patterson and his brother-in-law Alan Patterson.

He is survived by his wife "Micky", his three children and their families; Marla Mae Conley and longtime special friend Scott Osborn of Cherokee; Scott's daughter Amy, her husband Matt Halls and their daughter Kinnick of Ankeny, Iowa; Bonni Lee Conley and her twin daughters Clare Marla and Frances Lee all of Cherokee; Craig Ralph Conley and his wife Kyra and their daughter Logan Hannah of Slater, Iowa; a sister-in-law Phyllis Conley of Aurelia, Iowa; also many family members and friends.

The family requests that Memorial Gifts be made in Jerry's name to be used toward serving the Kidney Dialysis needs of the people in our Cherokee area.