Gerald Jay Shepler

Born to a preacher father, the family farmed and moved around Michigan, eventually spending time living in a tent in Arizona picking crops before returning to northern Michigan. Jerry dropped out at the end of elementary school to help the family.

A born artist, he loved movies, music, and art. He drew and played several instruments by ear. While they lived in East Lansing, Michigan, he and his brothers would watch matinees all day and hitchhike home in the evening.

In 1957, Jerry tried to join the U.S. Air Force, then the Navy, then the Marines, but their quotas were filled. As fate would have it, he ended up in the Army Military Police, shipped off to Pusan, Korea. There, he met Hong, Chung Soon. She later changed her name to June, and they married on May 10, 1960, and Jerry adopted June’s daughter, MiJa.

The family moved to the United States, settling in Waterford, Michigan, where Jerry worked at General Motors. He started on the production line, moved into management, and finished as a draftsman, drawing detailed technical drawings of trucks to be manufactured.

Jerry welcomed his grandchildren, Jerry and Kimberly Lawson, in the 1970s. He was a fun and dedicated grandfather. He loved roller coasters and took them to Cedar Point (the country’s best amusement park!). Jerry taught them to cross-country ski and ride their bikes. He loved making them toys like life-size spaceships and a “gas pump” for their bikes.

After retiring, Jerry and June moved to Florida for several years, eventually relocating to Canton, Georgia, to be near their grandchildren.

After losing his beloved wife, June, in 2014, Jerry spent his time volunteering at Rocky Mount Elementary School where two of his great-grandchildren attended. He was a dedicated volunteer who was awarded the Cobb County Volunteer of the Year Award in 2020.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Max and Wayne Shepler; and two sisters, Erma Case and Sandra Shepler.

Jerry is survived by his daughter and her husband, MiJa and Mike Lawson; grandchildren Jerry (Tanya) Lawson and Kimberly (Mark) Petty; and great grandchildren Parker and Vienne Petty, and Tasha, Adria, and Kaiya Lawson.

The family will receive friends on February 25, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Woodstock Funeral Home, 8855 Main Street, Woodstock, Georgia. The funeral service will follow at 11:30 a.m. at the same location.

Gerald will be laid to rest at Georgia National Cemetery with military honors, 1080 Scott Hudgens Drive, Canton, Georgia, at 1:30 p.m. on February 25, 2026.