Jerry Ernest Traver

Jerry Ernest Traver died on Tuesday, August 20, 2019 from SUDE (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy), which occurs very rarely, only to about one in a thousand people. He was 61 years old.

Jerry was born on October 10, 1957 at Northgate Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The youngest of nine children, Jerry is preceded in death by his parents and six brothers and sisters. He is survived by one brother, one sister and his only son, Eric.

After his mother died, Jerry moved to Idaho where he lived on Houser Lake and worked in Cour d’ Lene installing stereo systems. He moved to Ritzville in the 1990’s and it was here he honed his skills as a painter and fine-finish carpenter. In 2011 he started his own contracting company, “Traver Painting and Remodeling”. He was a perfectionist and left his stamp on all of his completed work.

Jerry was known for his collection of vintage Schwinn bicycles. Beginning with a 1948 Black Phantom, ending with a 1957 corvette, each one was restored as close to the original as possible. He rode them all over town, but he always kept one or another of them polished and gleaming in his living room. As a long time member of the Eagles, he made many friends there and he remembered acquiring some of his antique bicycles through those friends.

Jerry replaced his old 1976 Ford blue truck with a “new” 1975 white Ford truck. He kept putting off the daunting task of restoration. We will all miss Jerry. We will also miss seeing that iconic off-white truck with the visor that announced Jerry Traver.

We bless and support him on his next journey.