Jerry Lee Risser

Jerry Lee Risser, Sr., 83, passed away after a lengthy illness Friday evening, January 14, at his home in Fishers, Indiana, surrounded by family. He was born March 22, 1938, in Goshen, Indiana, to Woodrow and Arlene (Miller) Risser. He was a 1956 graduate of Goshen High School and a 1960 graduate of Purdue University, where he was a part of the marching band and received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology. Within a few years, Jerry became the assistant, then the personnel manager, for G.C. Conn Musical Instruments in Elkhart, Indiana. It was there that mutual friends introduced him to Jonna Van Hoy, a family practice nurse, on a date that a January blizzard almost caused him to cancel. He did, indeed, make the trip on dangerous roads, and each found the loves of their lives. They married on July 9, 1966, at St. Patrick’s Church in Oxford, Indiana.

Two sons came to Jerry and Jonna: Jerry Lee, Jr., in 1967, and John Woodrow in 1969.

Jerry loved the lakes, enjoying boating and water sports on Lake Wawasee as a teen, and was in the advertising photo for Starcraft Boats in the 1950s. He also loved to play golf his entire life, and thoroughly enjoyed vegetable gardening. Travel for business and pleasure was an important and memorable part of his life. Happiest by the beach or lakeshore, Jerry could enjoy the view for hours. He loved cars, driving MG roadsters and Ford Thunderbird convertibles as a young man. He could tell jokes flawlessly, armed with a razor-sharp wit and a dry sense of humor. He loved – and produced – much laughter.

Jerry and Jonna built a home in Elkhart, Indiana in 1969, where they returned after successive, year-long job stints in Racine, Wisconsin and Park Forest South, Illinois. After Jerry, Jr., was born, Jonna would remain a stay-at-home mother permanently. Jerry worked as a personnel manager in the Recreational Vehicle industry in Middlebury, Indiana, first for Jayco and then for Coachman Industries. In 1975 he took a position at G.D. Searle near Chicago, still in personnel management, commuting from Elkhart for almost a year. The family moved to Mundelein, Illinois, where they lived until 1980.

Jerry accepted a transfer to Searle’s Dallas, Texas, office, a position thought to be a temporary move. They settled in a home in Grapevine, Texas, where Jerry and Jonna would remain for 40 years. In 1982, as the Searle office in Dallas was closing, Jerry took a position as the Director of Compensation and Benefits for Alcon Laboratories in Fort Worth, Texas, a moderate-sized company that primarily supplied pharmaceuticals for ophthalmology. During his time there, the company grew multi-fold, as did his position within it. By the time of his retirement in 2002, he had travelled across the world to Alcon plants and subsidiaries in Japan, the Caribbean, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America, all numerous times. By 2002, he was the Vice President of Compensation and Benefits and, with programs he helped put in place, Alcon was ranked among the “Top 20 Employers” in the nation by Forbes magazine.

In that time, he had put Jerry, Jr. and John through Texas A&M University, Jerry graduating with a BS and DVM degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine and John graduating with a BS in Chemical Engineering. Jerry, Jr., currently owns and is Senior Medical Director at Fall Creek Veterinary Medical Center in McCordsville, Indiana. John spent 30 years as an engineer and manager with BP, and now owns a consulting firm in northwest Washington State that specializes in decarbonization solutions for heavy industry.

Retirement for Jerry and Jonna meant split time between Texas (where Jerry could have a “fall garden” and play golf all year) and Indiana, where family roots and Hoosier summers called them back. They moved to Indiana full-time in 2019.

Even as health challenges continued to mount, Jerry kept his sharp wit and a love for music, political commentary and nice dinners out. In the end, what he wanted most was to finish his earthly sojourn with Jonna by his side, ideally in his own home. Ultimately, he got both of those wishes. He was both austere and generous, humble over his own accomplishments, but extremely proud of his children and grandchildren. His offspring would embrace faith and family and the wonderful ethics of hard work and delayed gratification, while still loving and employing the gifts of this life. He will be deeply missed by many still on this side of eternity.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Jonna; sons Jerry (Rebecca) of Indianapolis and John (Brenda) of Bellingham, Washington; and five grandchildren: Samuel, a junior at Montana State University; Annika, a sophomore at the University of Arizona; Jameson, a freshman at Michigan Technological University; Laine, a freshman at Central Michigan University; and Lydia, a junior at Lawrence North High School. He is also survived by brothers, Dennis (Alice) and Douglas (Sharon), all of Goshen, Indiana; brother-in-law, William Van Hoy of Fishers, Indiana; and sister-in-law, Susan (Kerry) of Nashville, Indiana; as well as nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral services will be held at Flanner Buchanan – Geist on Saturday, January 22, 2022, with visitation from 10-11am and a service at 11am with Tom Macy, Pastor Emeritus of Faith Church, Indianapolis, officiating. A private burial ceremony will be held on Monday, January 24, 2022, with final interment at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Fishers, Indiana.

Memorial contributions may be made to Operation Blessing, https://www.ob.org/, or check contributions made to Brighton Hospice, 280 East 96^th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240, noting “charitable donation for indigent care services”.