Jerry was born December 20, 1952, at home in Grassy Fork to Dallas and Ruby Campbell. He was one of six children. He had an older brother, JH, and four sisters, Grace, Zanna, Elouise, and Estalee. He had a special bond with his sisters, but he and his older brother developed an inseparable bond which endured throughout their lives. He grew up in the Edwina community, where he helped to raise his sisters and spent much of his time in the mountains.

Jerry worked in manufacturing for many years. He was considered a dedicated, dependable, honest team member and earned the respect of his supervisors and his coworkers. His heart, however, always remained in the outdoors and the mountains.

He was a senior member of the Poor Boys Bear Club, a hunting club in the Edwina community that works to preserve hunters’ rights, ensure a strong and healthy animal population, teach the next generation respect, ethics, and outdoor skills for the mountains and hunting, and assists those in the community that need help. He loved them all as brothers and enjoyed every moment of his time with them.

In 2010, Jerry joined the Forestry Service as a seasonal wildland firefighter at the Cocke County Work Center. There he worked on crews that suppressed numerous wildland fires in the East Tennessee District and earned the respect and admiration of his crew. He was dedicated and committed to protecting life, property, and the forest resources that he loved. There he added another chapter to his family.

Jerry was a quiet man who loved the outdoors and enjoyed the simple things in life. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, gardening, and playing with and teaching his nephews. He had a quiet strength and was always ready to lend a hand. He had a relationship with God that glowed in his face. Jerry left a lasting impression on those he knew and loved and will always be in our hearts.