Jerome "Jerry" Polk

Jerry Polk entered eternal life on Wednesday, October 26, 2016; his visit “home” to see family and friends was cut short.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church in Oshkosh with Father Matthew Koperski officiating on Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at 10:30 a.m.  Cremation will follow the service and burial of the ashes will be held at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Cemetery at a later date.

A rosary service will be held at 5:00 p.m. Monday evening at the church.

Visitation will be held one hour before the rosary and one hour prior to the mass.

Holechek Funeral Home and Cremations in Oshkosh is serving the Polk family

Jerome Richard Polk was born to Clifford Paul Polk and Grace Irene Polk on February 16^th, 1950 in Oshkosh, NE. He grew up with his six siblings in Garden County, where he learned his unwavering faith in God, his unmatched work ethic, his love of fishing, hunting and the outdoors and his incredible value of family and friendship.

Jerry held many occupations in his early years, beginning with his brothers and father in his father’s butcher shop.  Being the youngest and smallest of the boys, he sought outside work in neighboring farms, specifically Ed & Joan Jasnoch’s, where he gained the respect and love of another family.

In 1968, he married Michaeline Jasnoch and began his own family.  During that time, he served as a police officer, assistant city manager in Ogallala Nebraska before beginning his career with Burlington Northern, which took him from Nebraska to Colorado, Wyoming and Texas.

While in Texas, he met his second wife and gained another blessed son, Kyle Polk.

After retiring from BNSF, Jerry’s desire to travel and remain busy took him to Washington where he worked as a Federal Railroad Inspector covering the states of Washington and Alaska.  This time in his life was his passion and his most treasured occupation of all.

After 5 years, Jerry decided to spend his time closer to family, retired and moved to Drummond, MT, where his position shifted to beloved father/grandfather/father-in-law, part time farmer and glorified cowpoke.  His love for the outdoors helped him settle right in to the mountains of Western Montana.

We were so very blessed to learn sooooo many valuable lessons from this amazing man.  Some of those lessons will forever stay in our hearts, like:

Judge not lest ye be judged.  He lived it every day.

Any fish in the bucket is a keeper.

“Slick ain’t got a thing to do with it!”

Hitchhikers are people too, but it’s only okay if he’s the one that picks them up (and he picked up A LOT!)

NEVER, EVER chew with your mouth open.  (Because it will fall out of your mouth when he pops you on the back of the head.)

Loyalty. Honesty. Kindness. Love.

God is our savior. Period.

There is nothing better than a grandfather’s tight hug. “You hug with all you got.”

Snowshoe grog and pickled fish will create an accident

Even if you are not 15 minutes early, you are late.

Be kind to animals, always.

Under Jerry’s roof, if you play, you pay.

Honesty is the best policy.

The world doesn’t like a quitter.

Never, ever leave the camp chef with the bottle of whiskey, especially if he is already drinking at breakfast.  (and has a gun!)

You are only as good as your word.

You catch em’, you clean ‘em.

If you borrow something, you always return in better shape than you got it.

You DO NOT quit until the job is done.

Go big or go home.

Jerry’s spirit continues in his four children and eleven grandchildren, daughters, JoLynn McCasland and Jennifer (John) Buxbaum of Drummond, MT, sons, Jeremy (Jessi), Polk of Dickinson, ND and Kyle Polk of Amarillo, TX, granddaughters Brittani, Megan, Lindsey Casados, and Ruby and Gracie Polk and Madison Turner, grandsons, Hunter and Chandler Polk, Jennings Buxbaum, Dillon and Kameron Clark, his mother, Grace Albee-Polk, his sister, Peggy Cawthra and brothers, Cliff, Jr., Mike and Tom. Many beloved nieces and nephews and dear friends from every walk of life in Nebraska, Texas, Wyoming, Washington and Montana will also mourn his passing.

Jerry joined his father, Cliff Polk Sr. and 2 brothers, Bill and Pat, in heaven.

Good night, sweet dreams and God Bless, Jerry Polk.  We love you -