Jerry Robert Hubbard, age 76, passed away on Friday morning, April 12, at the Minnesota Veteran's Home in Minneapolis. Jerry was born on November 13, 1947 in Northfield, the son of James 'Jim' and Maxine (Marshall) Hubbard, Sr. Jerry graduated from Northfield High School in 1966 and went on to attend two years at Mankato State College as well as two years at the Northwest Technical Drafting School where he received a degree in architectural drafting in 1970.
Jerry married the love of his life, Elizabeth 'Jane' (Errington) Hubbard, on March 14, 1969 at the First United Church of Christ in Northfield and they made their homes during their fifty-five years of marriage in Minneapolis and Bloomington, Minnesota; Manhattan and Junction City, Kansas; and Shakopee, Minnesota before making their way back home to Northfield, for good, in 1976.
Jerry was inducted into the United States Army in January of 1971 and completed his basic training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; he was then stationed as an MP in the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red 1) at Fort Riley, Kansas, throughout his active duty. Jerry was proud to serve his country until his honorable discharge from Army active duty in October of 1972. He continued serving as an Army Reservist until 1977.
Jerry accumulated over 35 years of dedication and hard work to College City Beverage, in various capacities over his career, before his final position as a draught technician, that dated back to his part-time work there as a teenager. Jerry was proud to be a member of the American Legion for 40 years; he was also a member of the Waterford Warriors Snowmobile Club and Ducks Unlimited.
Outside of work, Jerry was a devoted husband, dad, and grandpa as well as an avid outdoorsman. He cherished every moment spent outdoors hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, or riding his Harley Davidson. Woodworking, and tinkering with model cars, trains, or anything he could get his hands on in the garage were also favorite activities. Memorable staples in Jerry's life included family holidays, vacations, a trip through the Black Hills when the kids were young, several trips with Jane to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally, two ventures to Hawaii with Jane, and spending time on the waters of both Crane Lake and Lake Mazaska with family and friends. He also held a special place for the family pets over the years namely Snoopy, Missy, Buff, Khan, and Nutmeg, the Siamese cats, and Pepper, the black lab.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Jane Hubbard; children, Nicole 'Nikki' (Jayson) Nelson and Trevor (Brittney) Hubbard; grandchildren, Sabrina and Jerrin Nelson and Brooklyn and Briggs Hubbard, all of Northfield; brothers, James 'Jim' Hubbard, Jr. of Tennessee, John 'Jack' (Linda) Hubbard of Wisconsin, and Jay (Susan) Hubbard of Florida; sister-in-law Mary Gale of Bloomington; as well as his nieces, nephews, other extended family, and friends. He was preceded in death by an infant son; his parents, James 'Jim' and Maxine Hubbard, Sr; and a sister-in-law, Verlie Hubbard, as well as his parents-in-law John and Laura (Gibson) Errington; brother-in-law, John 'Jack' Errington; and sister-in-law, Beverly 'Bev' Coffey; and nephew Anthony 'Tony' Gale.
A Celebration of Jerry's Life will be held at 3:30 PM on Thursday, April 25 at the Northfield United Methodist Church. Visitation will be held on Wednesday evening, April 24 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the Bierman, Benson, & Langehough Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to the Minnesota Veteran's Home of Minneapolis at the following link: https://mn.gov/mdva/donate/minneapolis-donations.jsp
Memorials may also be made to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation in memory of Jerry at the following link: https://give.bafound.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5231&mfc_pref=T&5231.donation=form1
