Jerry W. Colyer

On August 9th, 2025, my best friend and beloved husband of 43 years passed away after a courageous struggle with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and metastatic brain cancer. He faced both diagnoses with very little complaint and a resolve to maintain a positive attitude amid his physical body betraying him. His Christian faith was the foundation he built a life on, as a seeker of truth in his early teens. 

Jerry grew up in Buena Park, California. His childhood was filled with the simple pleasures of the time. His intelligence and love of adventure led him to explore his surroundings with curiosity and purpose. His best memories of that time are bicycling to the beach with friends, years of interesting Boy Scout activities culminating in the rank of Eagle Scout and the freedom to pursue challenging new experiences.  

In high school, his enjoyment of journaling, drawing and photography led him to use these talents on the school newspaper staff. His love of the outdoors resulted in many camping and backpacking trips. Church youth group, bible studies and prayer meetings contributed to his spiritual maturity and wisdom. At 16, he made friends with a girl named Julie. Little by little, they became inseparable partners for life. This led them to Cal State Fullerton in the early days of Computer Science studies.  

Jerry’s love of the computer world provided a means of professional growth that lasted forty years. From programming languages to graphics, networking, teaching, IT support and cyber security, he found his ever-changing field stimulating.  In the early 1990s, his career path led to Delco Electronics in Goleta and Santa Barbara became home. 

As much as Jerry’s career meant to him, his family was in no doubt of his devotion. Jerry and Julie were blessed with two daughters, Kirstin and Caitlin. Jerry was the type of dad that shared the wide, wide world that he loved with his children and supported and encouraged them as they made their own discoveries. In time, when he became “Gramp”, he was equally engaged with and proud of his three beloved grandsons, Chris, Rhys and Caedmon. When Kirstin married Rudy Carruolo, Jerry’s joy was complete, as he became the best son-in-law a father could have prayed for. 

Our family is forever grateful to Dr. Alex Morf for his faithful care of Jerry.  He was blessed with the best of medical attention locally, through Cottage Health, UCLA, Sansum, Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, VNA Hospice and the overwhelming gold standard of excellence, Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital. 

There will be a graveside service at Goleta Cemetery on August 18th at 10 a.m. A reception at Shalhoob’s Magnolia in Goleta will immediately follow the service. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital.  God bless all! Julie