Gerald Louis McDougal, Jr.

Gerald (Jerry) L. McDougal, Jr. died peacefully at home on January 10, 2026 from complications of heart disease. Jerry was born on December 14, 1961 in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

As a young man, Jerry enlisted in the United States Navy and proudly served his country, a member of the American Legion. He met his wife, Linda Anderson, also in the Navy, in San Diego and they married at Hotel Del Coronado in 1984.

Although Jerry had the vocabulary of a sailor and talked a tough game, he was a gentle giant, complex, often carrying the façade of a grumpy old man unless he was in the presence of his grandkids, father or one of his many dogs.

First of all, he was a lover of all animals, particularly his dogs (Labradors and Beagles). At one time, he had eight labrador retrievers and every day was engaged in exercising or training them to retrieve. Jerry often said that a dog was the only way you got to pick a relative. He was a huge supporter of dog rescue organizations. He also raised snakes for a time (25 or so, including a 12 foot Albino Python). Jerry was a hobbyist of great variety. He was a rock climber, deep-sea diver and instructor of both NAUI and PADI diving classes for certifications. He loved camping in the Baja of Mexico where he took entire classes to ocean qualify his students. He had an observatory with a 16” telescope and was self-taught in astrophotography, creating beautiful pictures of the world beyond. Jerry was also a computer enthusiast, a voracious reader of all types of books and viewer of all genres of movies (especially Science Fiction, War, Historical, and Horror). He collected knowledge and could quote lines in books or discuss the particulars of any movie. Jerry loved to hunt and fish, passions he embraced after moving from California to Wisconsin. He was a collector of rocks and fossils, a lapidary genius…faceting gemstones and cutting slabs of stone to make jewelry for everyone he knew. Jerry was a rocketeer and taught his grandchildren and young friends to build and launch rockets. He was a member and past board member of Tripoli Rocketry Association, attaining many certifications that allowed him to launch the big ones. One of his treasured pastimes was having lengthy conversations with his father.

Jerry had a unique sense of humor. If you understood him and were willing to engage or dish it back, you were on his list. He had a passion for teaching his kids moral conviction. He believed in knowing right from wrong; there could be no fine line or argument…right was right and wrong was wrong. Jerry never cared about impressing anyone. He stood alone and was the smartest man we knew. He lived his life on his own terms with intention and diligence. His son said he was the kind of man that raised up other men. He was a patriot.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Linda and three sons: Jared (Jessica), Jonathan and Jacob (Sally); as well as four grandchildren: Alexis, Logan, Zach and Zeke, father Gerald McDougal, Sr. (CA), sisters Becky Licon (AZ) and Stephanie (Maury) Adams (CA) and brother Doug (Leanna) McDougal (GA), brothers-in-law Ron (Jan) Anderson, Rich Anderson, David (Glenda) Anderson, Bill (Gerilen) Anderson, sister-in-law Carol (Brad) Hopp, aunts including his “favorite” Jade, many nieces and nephews and his best friends - pups, Zelda and Prudence. Preceding him in death were his mother Sue, sister Kathy, brother-in-law Richard Licon, in-laws Les and Winnie Anderson, sister-in-laws Laurie Anderson and Marilyn Anderson, niece Mary Beth Anderson-Lundstrom, niece and nephew, Jason and Amy Anderson, stepmother Judy as well as grandparents.

As per Jerry’s wishes, there will be no funeral. Burial will be later in the Spring. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, January 31,, 2026 at the Woodville American Legion from 3-7 pm. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to your local Animal Shelter or Animal Rescue