Jerry Lynn Gidley

Jerry Lynn Gidley, 76, went to be with the Lord on May 16, 2020 in his home surrounded by loved ones. 

Jerry was born on October 19, 1943 in Alvarado, Texas. His parents, Christopher ‘Custer’ and Margaret Gidley, adopted him at infancy and raised him in Alvarado. Throughout his childhood Jerry made many good friends.  Several were still among his closest friends during the remainder of their days.  Jerry always had fond stories to tell about his childhood antics, and if he told the stories once he must have told them each 25 times.  One of his favorite stories was about the Gidley Bowl.  If you were among those in attendance, maybe you are still telling these stories too.

Jerry entered into the grocery business after high school.  He worked his way up over the years and was a store manager at both Piggly Wggly and Minyard Food Stores.

Jerry met Carmen Bassett in the Spring of 1976 after her grandmother introduced them.  They married shortly thereafter and lived in De Leon for a short time before moving to the DFW area.  They just celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary  on May 12.

After retiring from the grocery business, Jerry and Carmen opened their own business selling T-shirts and sunglasses, among other things.  They traveled across Texas and as far as Georgia and Iowa selling their products.  Jerry never met a stranger and was completely in his element chatting with customers across the nation.  He made everyone he met feel like they had known him all their life and during these years he and Carmen made many wonderful, lifelong friends.

Jerry did not have a lot of worldly possessions, but he was generous beyond his means and he was always ready to help those he loved.  His friendships were truly so important and valued by him.  If he called you his friend, you meant the world to him.

Throughout his years Jerry had several hobbies.  One of his first hobbies was roller skating.  Jerry didn’t just skate in a circle around the floor...he danced and twirled like a top.  His friends from those days still speak in amazement at his skating abilities.  Jerry also loved all sports and really enjoyed rooting for the local high school football teams (Alvarado and Grandview) and the Baylor Bears girls’ basketball team.  He enjoyed playing golf and spent much of his 30’s and 40’s on the golf course.  He also really enjoyed dancing (country western, jitterbug and the twist among others) and was a wonderful dancer.  In his later years, Jerry’s favorite hobby was visiting the casinos in OK and along the roads to Iowa.  He had an uncanny ability to stretch $100 into hours at the slot machines, often walking away with more than $100 in his pocket.

Jerry had a big personality that was only possibly dwarfed by the size of his bluebell ice cream bowl!  If you’ve left him a voicemail in the last 10 years or so, you knew that you were calling Elvis and he could not take your call.  Now ‘Elvis’ has left the building, but one can surely say he did it his way!

He is preceded in death by his parents Margaret and Christopher Custer Gidley, and his step-son Ronald Rossberg, Jr.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife Carol Carmen Gidley; his son, Clint Delynn Gidley and his spouse Tonya of Grandview; his step-daughter, Jennifer Mayes and her spouse John of Dallas; his grandchildren, Dylan, Travis, Garrett, and Chloe and numerous friends. 

In lieu of flowers the family asks to please make any donations to Community Hospice of Texas - www.chot.org or Multiple Myeloma Cancer Foundation - www.myeloma.org or a charity of your choice. 

Due to Covid-19 (Corona Virus) the family wishes to not have a ceremony at this time. Please contact us with any questions or concerns. 

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