Jerry passed into God’s glory on November 20th and received his just reward!

He was born July 20, 1941, in Faribault MN. His father, Oliver, died in WW2 when Jerry was just 3. His mother, Marian was home raising four sons of which Jerry was the second. The family would eventually grow to 10 children.

He grew up in the Faribault area, almost all in the country. He had many wonderful and fond stories about this time in his life. Jerry was part of a large Boucher and Zahn family in the Faribault area, until his immediate family moved to Minneapolis when he was 14. He graduated from Minneapolis North High School in 1959. After high school Jerry paid his way through Minneapolis School of Art (now Mpls College of Art and Design) by parking cars at the Edgewater Inn, where the popular Edgewater 8 performed and got their start. He focused on photography and graphic design and would later make a career as photographer.

On June 5th, 1965 (6/5/65) Jerry married Elaine Cheeney at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church in North Branch, MN and God blessed their marriage with 3 sons – John, Tony, and Matthew. Later their foster son Gibsun joined the family. There were challenges early in their marriage while living in North Branch, leading to a period of separation. During this time Jerry accepted Christ into his life which led to Elaine doing the same. Thanks to God the family was reunited and moved back to Minneapolis until their sons each graduate from High School.

In the late 1980s Elaine stopped at the Hudson Map company to pick up a project for Jerry’s photography business. While there she purchased several “15 minute maps” of the St. Croix Valley area and adjacent Wisconsin counties. These maps included the old schoolhouses (mostly one room schoolhouses) in each county. This led to a new past time of driving the Wisconsin countryside looking at old schoolhouses. In January of 1990, with their youngest son in college, they purchased and moved into the High Bridge School in Amery, WI where they lived until 2023. Jerry and Elaine were highly involved in the Amery and St. Croix Valley arts communities. Jerry edited and published the Polk County travel guide for many years, as well as “What’s Playing”, a quarterly informational magazine highlighting the recreational and arts opportunities throughout the St. Croix valley area. While Jerry enjoyed many career endeavors, his passion was photography with a focus on architecture, interior design, and capturing the beauty in nature settings, as well as photographing many weddings – where he captured authentic joy for people. He also authored and/or provided the photography for 17 adolescent non-fiction books through Learner Publishing in Mpls. In addition, during his time in Amery Jerry mentored 8 youth from broken homes over 18 years through his involvement in a local “Kinship” program.

Jerry was the most amazing father, husband, sibling and friend. He was a patient and attentive in all interactions, always listening with an open mind and heart. He made people feel heard and understood. He modeled God’s love for people each day. While he battled cancer for the past 18 years along with several other health challenges, he was persistently positive and incapable of self-pity. Jerry was a blessing to his immediate and extended family, as well as his community. He is loved and will be missed, AND his legacy of unconditional love will carry on!

Friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Jerry’s Life, on Saturday, December 7th at East Lincoln Alliance Church – 735 70th Ave, Amery, WI. There will be a visitation at 10am, a service at 11am, followed by a luncheon and time to share memories and stories of Jerry’s life and impact.

Last Update: Nov 22, 2024 1:40 pm CST