Jerold Raymond Widish

Jerold R. Widish, age 86, went peacefully to be with the Lord on Sunday, April 18, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas after a courageous battle with dementia. Jerold Raymond Widish was born to Walter and Magdalen Widish in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 15, 1934. He graduated from Saint John Cathedral in 1952. He did his under-graduate studies at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the U.S. War College. He graduated in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Jerold joined the United States Air Force March 4, 1957, where he served his loving country for 4 years. Jerold met his wife, Maria Teresa De Jesus Duarte-Sanchez at Wilford Hall Medical Center laboratory and were married at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas on November 22, 1958. Jerold remained at Wilford Hall Medical Center as a civil service employee at Lackland Air Force Base as Chief of Chemistry and Automation of Wilford Hall Medical Center laboratory and retired after 38 years of service. He was first highest-ranking civil service employee and was granted officer privileges to the Officers’ club and other activities at Lackland Air Force base. After retirement, Jerold worked for Roche Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics, a manufacturer of drugs and diagnostic products in Germany. He loved his work and travels during his time with the company, and after 10 years, he retired for a second time in 1998.

Jerold was a devout Catholic and served in our faith community of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in San Antonio, Texas. He was a member of the Pastoral Council, where he helped raise funds to build the new church in its current location at 8500 Cross Mountain Trail in San Antonio, Texas. He also invited the retired priests of the Archdiocese of San Antonio residing at the Casa de Padres for dinner at his home and took them to play golf at different golf courses throughout San Antonio. Jerold became a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church when he moved in with his daughter and son-in-law, who took care of him at their home for the past 5 years.

Jerold and Teresa enjoyed traveling to Mexico, Europe, Canada, and taking a Caribbean Cruise, as well as traveling throughout the United States. Jerold also traveled to China with his oldest grandson, Jason. He traveled to Rome, Paris, Moscow and Kiev with his son, Walter and grandson, Alexander.

Together, Jerold and Teresa created a beautiful family and shared a loving marriage of 62 years, where they enjoyed a lifetime of joyous memories together.

Jerold will be remembered for his intense faith, humility, honor, and love of his family, friends and country. He loved to meet people, cooking good food, dancing and listening to all kinds of music. His favorites were classical and jazz. He loved to drive, read all kinds of books, and loved to watch John Wayne movies.

He leaves a legacy of love and pride for his family, and he will live forever in our hearts.

He lived and guided his life by the virtues of Saint Thomas Aquinas, “Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.” “The things that we love tell us what we are.”

Jerold Raymond Widish was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Magdalen Widish; grandparents, Leopold and Katharine Lunowa, and his favorite Uncle and Aunt, Michael and Doris Lunowa. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Teresa Widish, daughter, Katherine Sepulveda and husband, Frank; grandchildren, Jason M. Sepulveda, Lauren M. Sepulveda, Michael B. Widish, and Alexander J. Widish; great-grandchildren, Emma I. Sepulveda, Arthur Shea Fonseca IV and Carter B. Fonseca; sister, Arlene Busch and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

The family would like to thank the following Brightstar home health caregivers, Monica Arevalo, Elizabeth Tanner, Cristina Flores, Janis Collie, Loreli Wendell and Teresa Balboa. The family would also like to thank with much heartfelt sincerity, Maria Alacron, his first caregiver, who loved and cared for him with great compassion and patience. The family would also like to acknowledge and thank Tammy Smertneck for always being there for all of Dad’s in-home healthcare needs and finding good quality and compassionate caregivers to care for him. The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to Patty Zapata, his hospice nurse from Kindred Hospice of San Antonio, for her kind, compassionate and loving care.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M., Thursday, May 20, 2021, at Porter Loring Mortuary North.

ROSARY

Thursday, May 20, 2021

7:00 PM

Porter Loring North Chapel

MASS

Friday, May 21, 2021

10:00 AM

Holy Spirit Catholic Church

8134 Blanco Road

Interment will follow in Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.

For those who are unable to attend the service, livestreaming can be viewed below: