Jerry Dewitt Harrell Jr.

Jerry D. Harrell, Jr. passed away on April 29, 2025. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Betty Jane Harrell and his granddaughter Heather Joy Harrell. He is survived by his children Kathleen Harrell Storm married to Dale Soden (Spokane, WA), Deborah Harrell Reining (St. Simons Island), and David Harrell married to Susan DeMaagd Harrell (Grand Rapids, MI). He is also survived by his grandchildren Colin Storm married to Anna Penner (Thousand Oaks, CA), Caitlin Storm (Irvine, CA), Christopher Reining (Abilene, TX), Emily Rose Newhouse married to Erik Newhouse (Colorado Springs, CO), and Keira Mei Yu Shan Harrell (Toronto, Canada), as well as by his three sweet great-grandchildren Eli, Kinsley, and Anika.

Jerry was born in 1930 in south Texas and raised as an only child in Beacon, New York. While attending Wheaton College in Illinois, he met his future wife Betty; that meeting began a 68-year marriage and life partnership. Both Jerry and Betty, motivated by their faith in Christ and concern for the world, were inspired to pursue missions work. While in Philadelphia studying classics at the University of Pennsylvania, Jerry decided to prepare for a career in medicine, graduating from Jefferson Medical College in 1961. He completed a residency in ophthalmology, and used his training while serving as a physician, first with the Wycliffe Bible Translators in Peru and Bolivia and later in the U.S. Army, retiring as a colonel in 1990.

He and Betty loved St. Simons Island, where they moved upon retirement, because it reminded them of beautiful tropical locations where they had lived previously. Even after retirement, Jerry continued to be involved in short-term missions work in Honduras, Belize, Samoa, Ghana, and at the Lighthouse for Christ in Mombasa, Kenya. Most recently, Jerry loved volunteering for MAP International in Brunswick, GA, where he made and packaged boxes to send medical supplies overseas. Both Jerry and Betty will be remembered for their generous compassion, for their service to those around them, and for their life-long faithfulness to God. Despite the enormous loss at his passing for those who love him, we rejoice that Jerry is reunited with his Savior and with his dear Betty and granddaughter Heather.

A memorial service (A Service of Witness to the Resurrection) will be held on Saturday, May 24 at 10:00 a.m. at Golden Isles Presbyterian Church. The church is located at 48 Hampton Point Drive, St. Simons Island. The service can also be accessed online through the church website (www.gipc-pca.org); see “Sermons” for a link to the church’s YouTube site.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Golden Isles Presbyterian Church (through the mail to GIPC, 48 Hampton Point Drive, SSI 31522) or to MAP International in Brunswick (through the agency’s website, www.map.org, or by phone at 1-800-225-8550).