Jerry Taylor Cole

Jerry was born August 14, 1930, in Vernon, Texas to George Taylor and Melba Carter Cole. He attended high school in Artesia, New Mexico where he met and later married Thelma Marie Hayhurst in 1950. They moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1957 where he went to work for Sandia National Laboratory as a technician. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico in 1963. After graduating, he moved his family to Idaho Falls to work at the Idaho National (INL). He enjoyed the rest of his working career working at the INL and retired as the Engineering Manager at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant in 1992.

Jerry loved Idaho and enjoyed outdoor activities including skiing, fishing, back-packing, and hunting, but his passion was raising and training horses. His favorite activity was horseback riding in Yellowstone with friends each fall when the elk were bugling. He broke his last horse at the age of 78. At that point he admitted that it was time to leave the horse training to younger men and women but he never lost his love and affection for horses. He is loved and will be missed by his family.

Jerry is survived by, four sons, Lance (Donna) Cole of Idaho Falls, Brent Cole and Marc (Jeanette) Cole all of Woodinville, Washington, and Kevin Cole of Bismarck, North Dakota; 7 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 23, 2013, at Buck-Miller-Hann Funeral Home, 825 E. 17th Street in Idaho Falls, with Pastor Bob Sherwood, officiating. A viewing for family and friends will be held from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Monday at the funeral home prior to the funeral. Jerry’s request is to be cremated so no grave side services will be conducted.

The family suggests that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., 7th fl., New York, NY 10001, online at www.alzfdn.org or by telephone at 1-866-232-8484.