Gerald "Jerry" Wayne Weisbeck

Gerald "Jerry" Wayne Weisbeck, 68, died on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016, in his home surrounded by family after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Services will be held Monday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. at The First Assembly of God Church with a reception to follow in the basement. The family is asking that all donations and support be mailed directly to Brenda Weisbeck at PO Box 302, Fort Peck, MT, 59223, or dropped off at the church the day of the service please.

He was born on Oct. 5, 1948, in Martin, S.D., to James C. and Mildred L. (Glover) Weisbeck. He grew up in the Martin area where he attended Martin Grade School and graduated from Bennett County High School in 1966. A popular young man, he was elected Prom King as a junior. He attended Chadron State College in Chadron, Neb. He also took engineering classes at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. He spent many years based in Lincoln, Neb., and in 1993 moved with his two younger daughters Kristin and Mitzi, and his wife, Brenda, to Fort Peck, Mont.

He excelled in school and was a great teacher and mentor to younger siblings and his children. Patient and caring, he could teach anyone how to do anything. As a young student, he taught his younger sister how to recite poetry that he was studying in school. An entire string of Weisbecks were taught to read by Jerry without even realizing they were learning.

He worked construction as a concrete finisher before starting his own business, which his two brothers, John and Frank Weisbeck, helped. He traveled all over the country working on everything from single story to towering skyscrapers. When asked about conquering the possible fear of hanging off the side of a skyscraper, he joked, "You're just as dead falling from 50 stories as from five stories, the point is not to fall." His talents in concrete restoration and finishing included restoration and repair to works of public art and memorials which had been vandalized, such as the "The Smoke Signal" statue in Pioneers Park and statues in the Sunken Gardens in Lincoln.

He was an avid hunter and fisherman, traveling all over North America for all types of game, even in his later years, fishing at every opportunity. On a family fishing vacation to Rocky Lake, Manitoba, he grabbed his pole and had caught several Northern Pike off the pier before his father had finished checking in at the lodge office.

Jerry met his wife, Brenda, of 31 years in Lincoln, Neb. They first met at Tuckers Inn back in 1981. At the time, her best friend thought she could catch Jerry's eye, but nothing could keep him from falling in love with her. After four short years of dating, they were married in 1985. They were inseparable and would do everything together. He even got her to hunt and fish alongside of him. They carried their love to Montana and stayed for 23 years until his passing.

Once he moved to Montana he became a fishing guide on Fort Peck Lake. He took great pride in giving everyone he took out fishing, the time of their lives. He always enjoyed when his oldest daughter, Michele, would come to visit and watching her excitement while catching their daily limit. His middle daughter, Kristin, also known as "Codi," would love collecting rocks off the banks while fishing and kept them in a special little bag. With a couple rubs with their fingers on the rocks and a toast to the "fish gods," they would always have the best time possible.

He and his youngest daughter, Mitzi, would go hunting every year and made that their tradition. Not one year would go by that they wouldn't have their tags filled and reap the reward of the best jerky or steaks around. He had more patience than anyone. He could sit in his blind or against the shrubs in the woods for hours waiting until the right opportunity came to pass. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, "tinkering," and spending time with family and friends, especially his three daughters and six grandchildren.

Everyone knew him as the man of many trades. He could teach himself how to fix anything at any given time. Their wasn't anything he wouldn't do or give a person in need. He loved to help and loved to be busy working on new projects. He was a hard worker and worked until the cancer got too strong.

His wishes before he passed were that he be cremated. At a later date in time, there will be a spot in Lincoln, for a memorial site located in the cemetery.

He was very grateful for all of the support when it became a financial need to travel back and forth to Billings for treatment. He had friends and family stand together and fill in the gaps as needed. Support even from complete strangers to help him in the last year before his passing. The entire family would like to say thank you for all of the prayers and support they have received from the Valley County community and the medical staff in Billings. Also, a big thank you to the friends and family that have made commitments to continue to help even after his passing. It brought him great peace knowing that his wife, Brenda, will continue to have help when needed.

Survivors include his wife, Brenda Bax; three daughters, Michele Wilson and her husband, Jake, Kristin Kirchdoerfer and her husband, Travis, and Mitzi Weisbeck; brothers, James R. Weisbeck and his wife, Cleta, and Frank W. Weisbeck and his wife, Linda; three sisters, Linda Ford and her husband, Merle, Mary Ward and her husband, Waymon, and Roxanne Farley and her husband, Randy; six grandchildren, Michaela and Sierra Rose (Michelle) and Abigail, Adoniah, Annakah and Atticus (Kristin) and many nieces and nephews.