Jerry Earl Watkins was born April 17, 1951, to Max Earl Watkins and Arvetta Jeanette Speakman. He was born at a hospital in Fulton right on the line between Kentucky and Tennessee, so they picked Kentucky on his birth certificate. After Jerry joined the family they lived in Tennessee, where his father worked in the logging industry. When he was very young, Jerry suffered a fever that got so high that it resulted in his disability that we knew him with. In 1960, when Jerry was 9 his Dad was killed in a logging accident.
Arvetta Jeanette Speakman Watkins met Dennis Harris and they married in June of 1962, giving both Jerry and his brother, Marley, a new home in South Dakota. During this time, he lived in Lead, the Piedmont area, and Sturgis. Jerry worked with Black Hills Special Services for a short time, and he also spent a summer haying and helping haul bales for an area rancher. Arvetta died in 2005, leaving Jerry in Dennis' care.
Dennis took good care of him, taking him to numerous rodeos, firework displays, parades, concerts and anything else that Jerry wanted to attend. Jerry enjoyed the rally and worked a couple of different rally years for Kickstart. He was always old enough to transport the beer!!! A couple of Jerry's favorite pastimes were fishing, collecting knives, stuffed animals and eating out! Dennis continued taking care of him until his death in March of 2019. After Dennis' death, Jerry moved to the Hillsview Highrise in Sturgis. He did very well on his own, walking to the grocery store, and around town whenever there was an activity going on. He especially enjoyed being downtown during the rally this year. He even got a "job" volunteering at the Kiwanis food bank, and walked to church every Sunday at the Open Bible Church of Sturgis where he was a member.
Jerry Earl Watkins, 68, of Sturgis, was killed in an accident on October 28, 2019, in Sturgis.
He is survived by a brother, Marley Watkins, Phoenix; aunt, Judy Speers, Washington; uncle, Larry (Sarah) Watkins, Kentucky; cousins, Stephanie (Craig) Pirtle and Lisa Watkins, all of Kentucky; along with special friends at the Highrise, and many other friends that will miss him dearly.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, November 4, 2019, at Open Bible Church in Sturgis, 2121 Colorado Dr., with Pastor Reginald Lewis officiating. Interment will follow at Bear Butte Cemetery in Sturgis.

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