GROVELAND – Jerry Robert Stoehr, age 81, of Groveland, Illinois, passed away on January 8, 2026, in Morton, IL.

Jerry was born on April 19, 1944, in Moline, Illinois, to Robert and Rosalie Stoehr. He graduated from Moline High School and proudly served in the United States Navy.
Jerry worked as a carpenter and tour bus driver. As a carpenter, he was exceptionally skilled. He could pour a foundation, frame the house, build the kitchen cabinets, and then craft the wood furniture all with precision and pride. His hands could build just about anything, and he left his mark around much of Central Illinois.
Outside of work, Jerry was an avid golfer, especially loving time on the course with his best friends, Dale Wittenborn, Rick Shannon, Skip Bishop, and Gary Thornton. Their annual golf trips to Biloxi and frequent meetups were legendary.
Jerry was a world-class whistler, able to whistle any tune and nail the high notes perfectly. His father-in-law (Fred Gause) was so impressed that he would record him on cassettes whistling along with music. He was also one of the world’s biggest Chicago Cubs fans, watching as many games as possible and absolutely over the moon when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. On Sundays, you could hear him yelling just as passionately about the Chicago Bears.
In 1972, Jerry built his home in rural Groveland, where he found peace sitting on his deck overlooking the lake. He taught his children how to fish for bass and bluegill right from the backyard. He also loved his breakfast diners and local watering holes, where he was proudly known as a beloved “regular.” He was a true extrovert and engaged and bantered well with those at the diners and watering holes.
He was brilliant with crossword puzzles, faithfully completing the New York Times crossword every day, eventually even transitioning to doing it on the computer. The amount of knowledge stored in his head was astounding.
Jerry was the #1 fan of his children, never missing a game, concert, or competition. He loved hearing them play music and spent countless hours coaching Bryan in baseball and golf. He also enjoyed many years of cribbage, playing often with his wife and daughter, as well as with weekly groups of friends.
Family was very important to Jerry. He loved his extended family (Wittenborns, Shannons, Gauses, Stoehrs, Eastmans, Ottos, and Archibalds) and enthusiastically attended family reunions and holiday gatherings whenever possible.
He is survived by his wife, Trudy Stoehr; his children, Amy Nedwell (Palm Coast, Fl), Jennifer Szidon (Peoria, Il), and Bryan Stoehr (Morton, Il); his grandchildren, Brittany Nedwell (36), James Nedwell (34), Hope Szidon (22), Jake Szidon (20), Bradley Stoehr (16), and Alex Stoehr (11); and his siblings, Norm Stoehr and Cheryl Wedra.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Stoehr and Rosalie Williams Stoehr.

Cremation rites have been accorded.

Burial of cremated remains will take place at 12 pm Friday, January 30, 2026, at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.  Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton is handling arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for the family visit www.knappjohnson.com.

https://www.knappjohnson.com/obituaries/Jerry-Robert-Stoehr?obId=46889085