Jerry Mokler

FORT COLLINS—Jerry Mokler, 97, passed away on May 4, 2023. Born in Los Angeles as Helen Geraldine Eastland, she was always known as Jerry. She met her future husband, Lloyd J. Mokler, as a teen in 1941. They married in 1945, after he returned from WWII. They had a full house: six children as well as the occasional cousin or friend who needed a temporary home. Lifelong Californians, their 67 years together spanned the cities of Paramount, Rolling Hills, San Pedro, Mammoth Lakes, Rancho Mirage, and Blue Jay. After his passing, she lived in Carlsbad before moving to Fort Collins, Colo., at age 94. As a child, Jerry roller-skated the streets of downtown L.A. and helped in her grandmother’s boarding house. During the Depression, she moved in with cousins in the Mojave Desert, where she attended a one-room schoolhouse. Later, Jerry lived in her beloved Lake Arrowhead, where she learned to figure skate, and in Fullerton, where she graduated from high school and junior college. As a young woman, Jerry skated professionally in the Sonja Henie Ice Show. After she’d raised her children, she began ski racing, eventually winning the 1984 U.S. Masters Giant Slalom National Championship. Jerry also took up clowning; she cherished the joy that her clown personalities “Jerry-Oh!” and “Popsicle” brought to events and parties. In her last few decades, she became an avid golfer. A fierce competitor, Jerry could play card and board games for hours. She also enjoyed food rich in butter, wore spunky hats, loved to dance, was a committed baseball fan, and often celebrated with a good lemon drop martini. Always energetic and spontaneous, Jerry gave much time, talent, and funds to various causes, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Mammoth Lakes College Foundation, and the Wounded Warriors program in Mammoth Lakes. She is survived by her children, Mike (Mary), Greg (Janet), Jim (Stephanie), Scott (Roz), Pete (Cecilia), and Marty (John); 15 grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; and many cousins and friends. A celebration of life will be held on July 22, 2023, from 11—3, at The Mission Inn, 3649 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, Calif., 92501. Donations in Jerry’s honor are appreciated for the Wounded Warriors in Mammoth Lakes, run under Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra (DSES), P.O. Box 7275, Mammoth Lakes, Calif., 93546, or at disabledsportseasternsierra.org.

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Jerry Mokler

July 22, 1925 - May 4, 2023