Gerald (Jerry) Robert Swasey, 82, passed away peacefully with family by his side on January 27, 2020.
Jerry was born in Ferron, Utah on September 1, 1937 to Robert and Jane (Fish) Swasey. His childhood was spent in Mona, Ferron and Dragerton Utah with his parents and sisters Mary Swasey Hunt and Kathleen Swasey Huggins. Before finishing his Senior year of high school, Jerry went to work sheep herding.
He met the love of his life, Verla Lile about a year later thanks to the matchmaking skills of Verla’s cousin Pat. After three years of courting, the couple married on December 23, 1958. They had four children, sons Gerald Robert II (Bub), Michael D., Harold Duane and daughter Terri L.
Jerry was a jack-of-all-trades and worked in various fields including cooking and waiting tables at the Crescent Junction restaurant, was a pole climber and installed tv line for Town TV, blasted the railroad cut for the line to Potash, and worked for Utah Gas for nearly thirty years. No matter what he did, his favorite job was mining uranium on Polar Mesa with his father-in-law H.D. Lile.
In his seventies, he wrote and self-published The Untold Story of Polar Mesa that detailed the history of mining on Polar Mesa. It was important to Jerry that the history of the area and the importance of the industry’s beginnings not be lost. He very much enjoyed handing out the books to his nurses, patrons at The Moab Diner and anyone else he had a minute to talk to.
Jerry moved an old mine shack from Polar Mesa onto five acres on Willow Basin. After enlarging and renovating, the cabin that became a family retreat for weekends.
Jerry is survived by his wife Verla Swasey, sons Bub (Debbie) Swasey and Duane (Becky) Swasey, daughter Terri (Art) Hines, daughter-in-law Susan Swasey, eleven grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren, sisters Mary Hunt and Kathleen Huggins and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents Robert and Jane Swasey, in-laws H.D. and Lucile Lile, brothers-in-law LeRoy Hunt and Fred Huggins, son Michael D. Swasey, grandson Carson Swasey and great-granddaughter Zoey Sue Swasey.
We will greatly miss Jerry and the stories he enjoyed sharing with everyone.
A Graveside Service will be held Saturday February 1, 2020 at 12:00 noon at the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
You may send condolences to the family at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com