About Uncle Jerry

When you look up “frugal” in the dictionary you will see a photo of Jerry Johnson with a note, see also Redneck!

From my earliest memories it was always Jerry and Dad. We would drive over to Hamilton and pick Jerry up for a gun shoot or Saturday outing, so Aunt Ella knew he was not getting into trouble, well at least not the legal kind.

Dad and Jerry were two peas in a pod. They both loved their small town roots. They were passionate about guns and beer and their families. They both had habits of listening to the scanner to be in the know and taking long country drives to relive their glory days in rural Iowa. They knew every bend and haunt of Monroe county and many of the surrounding as well.

They did differ vehemently on one topic; politics. Dad, Johnny Joseph Johnson was a strict conservative Republican and Jerry Lee Johnson, being union through John Deere where he spent his career, was a Democrat. Just Jerry’s association with the union was enough to spin dad into a frenzy. Our daughter Victoria recalls an argument out at the farm that got very heated, she says it was very entertaining watching two old men fight like little kids. They eventually learned to not discuss politics, but it was after Jerry retired.

Uncle Jerry was famous for his pickling and his wine making. He proudly offered his Pumpkin Rind, Remashed Rhubarb and Radish Delight wines to our tastings out at the farm. Suspiciously we lost bushes and trees every year after a tasting. We later learned that people were pouring their samples out on the plants and it killed them. We found them to be very good antiseptics.

Jerry loved animals, especially horses and mules. When he was a boy he was seriously injured by a horse who had trampled him. It took months for him to recover and he lost most of a year of school. In his adult life he had a favorite mule Jake that kicked him. He told me that one of his greatest heartbreaks was Jake’s act of betrayal.

There were many occasions visiting Uncle Jerry in his “Hamilton Hideout” that proved him to be OG redneck. On one occasion I noticed that he had added some upper cabinets to the kitchen. When I asked him about it he proudly showed me his motivation. He had constructed a secret panel for them where he could hide his valuables in case of “break ins”. Inside the secret compartment he had hid several jars of his famous pickled peppers. On another visit we entered the house and were instructed not to talk above a whisper. It turns out one of his wine batches had turned quite volatile and even loud noises could set off an explosion. Jerry was waiting it out in silence.

Uncle Jerry was a true redneck. He had fashioned an old wash machine into a wine vat, nothing ever went without a second life with him. Once he and dad were attempting to start a campfire out at our family farm. It was not going so well apparently because they drove up the hill in the gator and grabbed the gas powered flamethrower. I immediately put 911 on speed dial. It was quite a show from up on top the hill.

My son got a swift redneck education on one visit. Dad, Curtis, Alex and I had stopped over to see Jerry. We walked in and noticed a display of birthday cards he had hung on the wall near the ceiling. One pictured a woman topless with extremely large boobs, Curtis and I attempted to shield Alex’s young eyes. Jerry offered us all a beer, I chose a water for Alex, then he and dad “started in” comparing their latest gun purchases. After several beers they started handing loaded pistols back and forth for each other to inspect and admire. When we left Curtis turned to Alex and said, “there was a great example of what NOT to do!”

Jerry’s other claim to fame was his slow driving. His daughter Lynn and her girls never let him live it down. As legend has it Jerry was driving Lincoln and Macy from Ottumwa and he pulled over into one of the slow lanes to allow passing, as the girls tell it even bicycles were passing him.

Jerry Lee Johnson lived an honest and great life out on Johnson Street. He was a simple man who did not care how the rest of the world lived or what they thought about him. He loved his family and friends dearly in his very redneck fashion. We miss you Uncle Jerry, but the teasing will not stop even though you are gone. You were the easiest man to tease, but a great man to love!

Love your niece, Terri