Jerome Kenneth McFarlane

Jerry Kenneth McFarlane, 79, of Spokane passed away on Thursday, September 13, at the Amani Place 2.

Jerry was born on July 7, 1939, Walla Walla, WA to Kenneth L. and Mary P. (Hoffman) McFarlane.  Jerry graduated from Walla Walla High School in 1957 and attended WSU from 1957 to 1965.  During his time at WSU he was active in the Outing Club, Sigma Iota, Army ROTC, the gymnastic team, Theta Chi and participated in the drama productions. He began working for Northwestern Mutual and became one of their top college agents.  In January of l965 a chance encounter on the steps of Holland Library with Sue Martin led to a lifetime of happiness and adventure. They were married in Seattle on June 18, 1965 and honeymooned on their way to Madison, Wisconsin.  Sue completed her dietetic internship at the University of Wisconsin and Jerry continued to work for Northwestern Mutual.  In 1967 they decided to relocate and ended up in Spokane.  Jerry worked for several other insurance companies, including Mutual of New York and Northwestern National, before founding his own business Pension Consultants of the Northwest in 1979.  He enjoyed helping small business owners plan for their retirement and keeping up on all of the required paper work.  He retired in 2009. 

Jerry served on the Spokane Chamber of Commerce Board.  He was active in the Spokane Jaycees and the Washington State Jaycees, serving in many different offices over the years.  He was honored by the organization by being named a JCI Senator.  Over the years he was involved with Toastmasters, The Exchange Club, Prosperity Club, Spokane Club, Spokane Racquet Club, Cougar Alumni Association and spent 7 years as a proud member of Ham on Regal (Ferris High School).  He served as an Elder at Manito Presbyterian Church and was a charter member of Southside Christian Church. 

Jerry enjoyed playing tennis, skiing and bridge.  His interesst in genealogy lead him to developing a data base of over 9,000 names. He was a proud dad and seldom missed a game or performance of any of his children be it baseball, volleyball, basketball, track or gymnastics.  He was a proud Cougar and traveled to many of the away games with the Traveling Cougars.  In 1993 he was a finalist for “WSU Dad of the Year.”  He loved new adventures and was rewarded by the companies he worked for with trips to Hawaii, Australia, England, Switzerland, Sardinia, and France.  In 1995 he and Sue traveled to Luxembourg to attend the Kilburg Reunion (his mother’s family) with 95 “cousins”.  He became a fan of GU Basketball and particularly the Women’s Team.  He also loved plays especially musicals.   As grandkids were added to the family, he didn’t miss a beat and could be found at all of their activities from sports to music concerts to drama productions.  He loved a good joke, even if it was played on him.  Jerry will be remembered as a gregarious person who could talk to anyone.  He signed every correspondence “Have a Profitable Day”.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, 2 uncles and a brother, Clifford.  He is survived by his wife, Sue; daughters, Debbi (Jeff) Ward of Sagle, ID and Jenna (Chris) Ballestrino; son Kyle (Mykette) McFarlane of Spokane; 4 grandchildren, Dakota and Taylor Ward and Lexi and Nash McFarlane.  Also surviving Jerry are his siblings Maryanne (Gale) Hoerner and Scott (Cyndi) McFarlane both of Walla Walla and 2 nephews. 

A celebration of Jerry’s life will be held at Southside Christian Church, 2934 E 27th Avenue, on Sunday, November 4 at 2 pm.  The family will host a gathering at Round Table Pizza on Regal for those wishing to share their memories after the Celebration of Life.  Memorial gifts may be made to Southside Christian Church or Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.