Jerry Edgar

Jerry Allen Edgar, 89, of Verona died on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. He was born on June 22, 1929 in Milwaukee to Marian (Akerson) Crisman Edgar Goodman Black and George Crisman. He was raised by his mother and her husband James Edgar.

He met Patricia May Bass during his third year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, and they were married on June 20, 1954, two days after he earned his Juris Doctor. They lived in Belmont where Jerry chose to start his career. All seven children were born at the hospital in Platteville: Jerry (Esther) Edgar Jr. of Lincoln, Neb., James (Karen Jost) Edgar of Milwaukee, Jane (Jim Thompson) Edgar of West Milwaukee, Jennifer (Stephen) Miller of Allen, Tex., Julie (Christopher) Houg of Sauk City, John (Julia) Edgar of Sun Prairie, and Jay (Joshua Feyen) Edgar of Madison.

Jerry graduated from Darlington High School in 1947 and attended the University of Dubuque, Iowa, playing on the golf team there. He was proud to have earned his letter in college playing golf, a sport he enjoyed for many years. He was very happy to have attended Darlington High School class reunions, including the 70th reunion at the Darlington Country Club in 2017.

Jerry was a member of the Wisconsin State Bar for more than 60 years, celebrating his 50-year anniversary with the Bar in 2004. He spent the majority of his practice as a municipal attorney and was an expert in that area, and wrote codes and ordinances for many villages and towns throughout Wisconsin. He was an attorney with the League of Municipalities in Madison for seven years in the 1970s and spent a few years with various law firms in Milwaukee and West Bend before deciding that he was happiest practicing on his own, with Patricia serving as his paralegal. He was an expert in special assessments and co-wrote a Marquette Law Review paper, which is cited to this day. He was also renowned for having the ability to act as intermediary between disputing parties, and calmly helping them resolve the matter at hand.

He enjoyed playing many card and board games with family and friends. Those same family and friends lament that he was always something of a "card rack," able to win a hand of euchre, for example, with nothing in his hand but the left bauer and 9 of trump. He also was really good at bluffing (not that one has much to do with the other...). He and Patricia were very proud of being ranked Life Masters in the American Contract Bridge League. Jerry was an avid Green Bay Packers fan since before the first Super Bowl, and if he couldn't watch a Brewers game on TV, he would listen to the calls on the radio. He also was an avid Badger football fan.

He is survived by Patricia, their children, and his sister Mary Geiger of Washington. Also by grandchildren Maris, Grace and Madeline (Eric Ostrowski) Edgar; Danielle and Michael Brooks; Robert (Nga Tran) Miller and Ben (Gabriella McClure) Miller; Zelia, Lily and Chloe Edgar; and James Thompson. Also by great-granddaughters Melanie Brooks, and Naomi and Delilah Miller. A large family of brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews also survive. Of special note is Patricia's sister Christine (David) Kilps, who has been a diligent caretaker of both Jerry and Patricia in the past few years.

Jerry Edgar was preceded in death by his mother, biological father and dad, his uncle Allen Akerson, Patricia's parents Roger and Alva Bass, brothers-in-law Richard Stockton, John Bass and Charles Bass, and nephew Jeffrey Bass.

Funeral services will be Saturday, June 8, 2019, at GLENWOOD MORAVIAN CHURCH, 725 Gilmore Street, Madison, with his daughter-in-law The Rev. Karen Jost officiating. Visitation is from 11 a.m. to the time of service at 1 p.m. A light lunch will follow at the church.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road, Madison
608-238-3434