Jerald R. Blomgren died Wednesday, May 24, 2017, in Salem, Oregon – his home for more than 30 years – at age 68. He was born in Pendleton, Oregon, on Sept. 6, 1948. He was the son of Ernest and Florence Blomgren.

The Blomgren family moved to Seattle when Jerry was a young boy, and he grew up with his two brothers, David and Ray, and his sister Janis in Normandy Park. The family moved to the Chicago area when Jerry was 14. He graduated from Deerfield High School in 1966 before heading west, where he graduated from Yakima Valley Community College.

Jerry served in the U.S. Army as a communications specialist, including a year in Vietnam in 1970.

He worked at the Eastern Oregon Hospital and Training Center in Pendleton for many years before moving to Salem, where he was an occupational therapist at Fairview Training Center and then at a group home. He retired in 2015, after assisting the mentally and physically challenged for more than 40 years.

Jerry was an avid reader. His home is filled with books of every interest, from astronomy to historical fiction to sports. He was a constant patron of the Salem Public Library. He loved the Chicago Cubs, and his family is grateful the Cubbies ended their 108-year drought while he was alive to enjoy it.

He is survived by siblings David Blomgren, Janis Lee, Ray Blomgren, Karen Davis and Larry Wahl.

A family memorial service will be held this summer in Seattle. Jerry’s ashes will find a final resting place in Puget Sound.

Assisting the family is Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service.