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In Memory of Theodore Jerry Sterling
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Posted by editor Fri May 19, 2006 16:23:07 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, May 23, for Tehachapi resident Jerry Sterling, 59, who passed away suddenly on May 17.

A viewing in the chapel at Wood Family Funeral Service, located at 321 W. F St., will be held on Monday, May 22, from 3 to 8 p.m. A horsedrawn hearse will carry him to the First Baptist Church, located at 1049 S. Curry St. for Tuesday’s funeral at 1 p.m. Reverend Mike Sheridan will officiate and there will be a brief interment ceremony at Tehachapi Public Cemetery, Westside.

Jerry was assisting his good friend Buck Brannaman at an equestrian clinic in Riverside when he was stricken. he was working on horseback and was truly doing what he loved most.

Jerry was born in Ridgecrest on July 8, 1946 to Ted and Eva Sterling. He grew up in the Owens Valley and went to school in Bishop and Olancha and Lee Vining, Nev.
He went to work for the Los Angeles Department of Water and power when he was 21 years old and retired from the DWP as a construction and maintenance superintendent after 31 years of service.

Jerry married the love of his live, Belinda “Bo” Brock, on Nov. 12, 1966 in Hawthorne, Nev. They lived in Lee Vining initially and then moved to Boulder City, Nev. where they resided for six years. Their son, Kurt, was born in 1967 and their daughter, Jeanie, in 1968.

AFter several transfers working for the City of Los Angeles, Jerry transferred to the DWP’s Mojave yard in 1977. The Sterlings bought property in Tehachapi and built their own home on Cherry Lane in 1978.

Jerry’s life revolved around his family and his love of horses. He assisted local ranchers for many years during roundups and brandings because he was an excellent roper and all-around cowboy. He also did side work as a horseshoer for years after learning the craft from veteran cowboy Tom Blake.

Jerry was a man of continual activity who generously donated his time for many local equestrian events and he was a mentor to scores of people interested in horses and horsemanship.

Survivors include his wife of nearly 40 years, Belinda “Bo” Sterling; son, Kurt and his wife Julie; daughter and her husband George “Pidge” Marantos; grandchildren, A.J., Brooke, Shannon and Gus, all of Tehachapi; and brother, Kenneth and his wife Jowanda of Kenai, Alaska.

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