Jerry Dean Goff, 77, passed away at the VA Medical Center in Memphis. He was the husband of Emily Goff of Oakland.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 9,  at Pope Baptist Church with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. Interment will follow the service at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Pope. Dr. Gary Berry will officiate.

Jerry was born Oct. 25, 1946 to the late Robert Edward Goff and Gladys Mabell Bates Johnson in Hickman, KY. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Marine Corp and was a Purple Heart recipient – Vietnam. Education was very important to Jerry. Unsatisfied with a GED, Jerry went through the Wayne’s School of Correspondence while he was overseas in order to complete his requirements for his high school diploma.

The first in his family to attend college, Jerry used his GI Bill to attend Freed Hardeman College in Henderson, TN. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in social work and an associates in biblical studies in 1977. Jerry had a vast working background. He had been a social worker, a Church of Christ minister, a glasses delivery driver, a newspaper thrower and a government meat inspector but found his true calling working as a journeyman meat cutter, which he did for 30 plus years. Over the years, he worked for Pic-Pac, Montesi’s, Piggly Wiggly, Schnucks, and eventually retired from Kroger in 2010. He was a member of Pope Baptist Church.

Jerry was a music aficionado with a diverse liking of genres – from Hank Williams Sr. to Elvis Presley to the American tenor, Mario Lanza. Unbeknownst to many, Jerry played guitar and sang himself. He was knowledgeable in all things music and had a natural talent for being able to identify the year and artist for every tune. He was an outstanding bank fisherman, a coca-cola connoisseur, an animal lover (especially turtles), a lighthouse and ruby red depression glass collector, and a fixer of all things (even if they were “jerry-rigged” sometimes). He was quite the history buff as he enjoyed researching and sharing everything he learned. He was a man of few words but many quirks and rememberable phrases (“still waters run deep”).

Growing up in the inner city of St. Louis, Jerry couldn’t wait to move to the peace and quiet of the Mississippi countryside. During retirement, he loved planting trees, watching westerns, napping, cruising, rescuing turtles and building his turtle sanctuary, listening to the birds, reading his bible, feeding his pond fish and spending time with his family. He loved to laugh and make others laugh… but most importantly he was a loving, loyal and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

The family he leaves behind includes his devoted and loving wife, Emily Carvan Goff of Oakland; beloved daughter, Kimberly Afton Boone (Landon) of Bartlett, TN, and son, Lonnie W. Russell (Melissa) of Canton, GA; step-daughter, Kristy Hare (Chris) of Pontotoc; siblings, Alma (Judy) Goff of St. Peters, MO; half-siblings, Mary Richardson of St. Peters, MO, Phyllis Molina of Calabash, N.C., Debbie Evans (Randy) of Brighton, CO, and David Goff (Kim) of Johnstown, CO; grandchildren, Noah Francis Boone, Emily Clare Boone, Lonnie Nicholas Russell, Cooper Russell, Ian Russell, Riley Russell; step-grandchildren, Evan Bridges, Brenna Kate Keys, Seth Alex Hare; one great grandchild, Vivian Russell, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Along with his parents, Jerry was preceded in death by his three brothers, Robert Eugene Goff, Howard Lee Goff and James Edward Goff