Jeri Marie Mortensen, 75-years old, a long-time resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, went to heaven on September 16, 2021, at a local hospice in Las Vegas, Nevada, after a bravely fought battle with Stage IIII Lung Cancer and Pneumonia complications.
She was born on April 7, 1946, in Norfolk, Nebraska. Her father was Merchant Marine Jerry Graber and mother Betty Born Graber. Afton Bohannon raised her, and she had one sister Marion Born Jernigan.
She was married to Rick Mortensen for 58 years. They have two sons, John W. Mortensen of Homer, Alaska, and Lane Mortensen and his wife Anna May of Las Vegas, Nevada; six grandkids, Colby Mortensen, Christopher Mortensen, Victoria Mortensen, Tara Herrick, Boston Mortensen, and Beau Mortensen (deceased); two great-grandchildren, Autumn Herrick and Charlotte Mortensen; and one Herrick baby, on the way.
She found her soul mate and husband for life when she married Rick A. Mortensen, also of Las Vegas, Nevada. Jeri and Rick met when she was a freshman at Las Vegas High School. They went steady for a while, then reconnected a couple of years after high school and married. They raised two wonderful sons, John and Lane.
Jeri helped Rick start his business in 1969 when he went to Sears and got a $50.00 loan for some tools and a shovel and put his first ad in the phone book. She then went to work at Bob's Big Boy on Las Vegas Boulevard as a waitress to help the family.
In 1978, she later became a Security Officer at the Stardust Hotel. She qualified for the job at the LV Metro Police Shooting Range expert with her 2" -38 Colt Snub-nosed revolver and put five in the bullseye that day after training with her husband. She wore a uniform, utility belt and worked plain clothes as a Stardust security officer.
Jeri worked her way up to Executive Secretary for the corporation that owned the Stardust, Sundance, and Fremont Hotels and Casinos. She first worked for the Casino Manager, then finally President Al Sachs until her retirement in 1984.
Jeri loved real estate, traveling, animals and had her champion Show Horse Kiowa until 2004 and her beloved Great Pyrenees dog Cowboy. Rick and Jeri traveled all over the U.S. and Africa. They raised Akita dogs and chickens in the Gagnier house in Las Vegas. Jeri and her husband built numerous homes over the years in Las Vegas and one in Colorado.
Jeri loved her family, and their Las Vegas homes were the "west coast hub" for all of the relatives and friends for get-togethers and gatherings for many years. Jeri had a wonderful life with her husband, family, and many friends and will be dearly missed.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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