It’s been almost two month since you left. It’s been hard but I am now able to do this.
I wrote a little something for the memorial which I didn’t share but that evening I read it to my mom as we sat there crying because we love and miss RJ.
So here it is~
I can say there is nothing more difficult and painful than saying good bye to RJ also known as my dad.
He was always there for me when I needed him and even when I didn’t.
He taught me many things.., algebra, played catch with me giving me pointers (my hand was always sore because man he sure could throw those balls), he came to rescue me when my car broke numerous times on the side of the road, he helped with home projects and he would even make his famous pina coladas for my girlfriends and I when I would come home to visit from Oregon.
RJ had a passion for life and learning. He was always up for a challenge weather it was a board game, home projects, cooking to the softball field. If he didn’t know how to do something, he somehow would always find a way and figure it out.
RJ was always happy, laughing and had a smile that you will always remember.
The last time I saw him, he made me chicken soup, yes chicken soup even though he is vegetarian and a Bundt cake because I wasn’t feeling well. That’s the kind of person he was.
I didn’t grow up idolizing a superhero but RJ was my superhero and inspiration.
He was kind, understanding, patient, genuine, positive, smart, athletic and hard working. He is one of the most amazing person I know.
RJ always greeted me with the biggest hug and says his good bye with the same big hug. I will never forget that last hug.
You made a huge impact on me and others. You will be truly missed but never forgotten Dad.
Love you, T

Remembering RJ, as a first class gentleman, with the kindness expression and gentleness one could see with his quick radiating smile. Easy going, and one cool dude. I always admire hardworking folks like RJ, pursuing their personal goals in life and succeeding despite all the hardships, pitfalls and obstacles in life. RJ, was quite a unique self made individual, put on his working boots, walk the miles, did his university homework and got
his hard earned degree in electrical engineering. Truly a remarkable feat considering RJ’s humbled childhood background and his long road in becoming a aeronautical engineer later in life. When I first met RJ through his wife Shirley many years ago, my first reaction was, what a nice easy going dude. Easy to have a nice conversation with and especially his profound love for baseball. After an hour or two of sports and family chit-chat, RJ looks at my hands and says…”you played baseball?” I said yes, and then I asked, why do you asked? He said, I see your broken fingers, their like mine. He show’s me his beat up hands with all his little broken bumps on his fingers. Definitely, a ball player that played the game hard and competitively, judging by his rugged hands. The bottomline with RJ: He took damn good care of himself, always physically fit with excellent athleticism to boot. And profoundly loved by his family and many close friends and with no doubt will be deeply missed on the ball diamonds. In ending, RJ, may your soul rest in peace.

I have loved my father my whole life!! I have a lifetime of cherishable memories. One of my earliest and most fond memories when he built a doll house for me. This house was full of intricate details. The lamp in the living room lit up and there was a little pump that could make water flow from the sink in the kitchen. It was fully furnished! He also built me a stove and refrigerator made of wood that had a metal pan as the sink. When I aged out of playing with it – I passed it onto the youngest daughter of a close family friend. When she grew out of it – they kept it in storage and when my oldest daughter turned one…they cleaned it up, gave it a fresh coat of paint and shipped it out to St. Thomas, USVI where I lived at the time. Those kinds of things are irreplaceable. The workmanship was superb as was any and everything my father made or built. Fast forward through the years of doing math at the kitchen table, learning how to ride a bike, taking us swimming, watching the airplanes land at LAX, riding his shoulder’s at Disneyland, watching him make homemade ice cream and so much more. Then came the divorce…divorce is never easy for anyone involved, but that is what ultimately separated us. I still saw and spent time with him regularly, because we didn’t live too far away from each other….and then we moved. Our visits became more scarce. However, we still managed to keep in touch. Fast forward another several years and softball became his thing. My father also liked baking cakes, reading, playing scrabble and Kismet with Shirley, watching Jeopardy, going for long walks, working in their community garden, riding his bike or the scooter he made for himself or working on some project in their home. He was always very active/athletic, but he LOVED playing softball. It wasn’t until recent years that I was finally able to watch him play. He was the picture of health! He was a wise man and a wisecrack. I miss his sense of humor, our chats over the phone or via texts or email. Thinking to myself that, although he is still in good shape for a guy in his mid 80’s and the fact that I don’t get to spend as much time with him as I’d like to – that I decided to spend my Birthday’s in California and I’m so glad I did. In fact, I made four trips within the past year. Unfortunately, one of them was to bury my brother Keith last June (2019). I know he never expected to ever outlive a child and that hurt. I also returned in December, which was the last time I saw him. we had plans to get together in 2021 for three milestone Birthday celebrations. He would be turning 90, my brother Jeff 60 and my youngest daughter 21. He didn’t quite make it to 89. Although, I am brokenhearted over his passing and will miss him dearly…I have MUCH to smile about from all the wonderful memories and pictures to help. I will miss and love him forever and always!! His one and only daughter.

– Shari Ann (as he so affectionately used to refer to me when I was little)

Hay “Pops”…..Thank you for all that you have done. From surviving that hot Texas sun as a child, to surviving the streets of South Central Los Angeles while still young.

Thank you for joining the Airforce and surviving that ugly war in Korea with such resolve, and turning that experience into a life-long career.

Thank you for my siblings, especially, my twin sister Shari. Because, without that last attempt at a baby girl, I would have never made it here.

Thank you for the planes, trains, automobiles and bikes you taught us how to maintain. Your “nick name” should have been “DIY” instead of “RJ”. We will never forget how as a senior….all of those MVP rings. You are my everyday HERO…and made it look so easy. Thank you.

Barry Edward Jerrels