Jerry Page Price, 87, of Stafford, Virginia, formerly of Alexandria, Virginia, passed peacefully on May 23, 2020 at home with his daughters beside him. Jerry was born in Monroe, Union County, North Carolina to Page and Evelyn Price. As a youngster he picked cotton, played baseball, and became active in the Future Farmers of America (F.F.A.)
In high school, at the age of 16, Jerry had one of the finest forestry projects in North Carolina and won first place in the county F.F.A. forestry contest. His project consisted of planting seven acres with 3,000 pine seedlings, clearing 720 feet of fire lanes and overseeing the growth of four acres of growing timber. Jerry also participated in the Farm Mechanics, Farm and Home Electrification, Soil and Water Conservation and the State Star Farmer contests. Never in the history of the organization has any one F.F.A. member won such a large percentage of the individual contest prizes as Jerry Price of Wesley Chapel did that year. During high school, Jerry individually won four state championships and received his Carolina Farmer Degree. In 1952 he completed his American Farmer Degree, the highest degree awarded by the National F.F.A. Association. Jerry continued to maintain this forested area and today these trees are still owned by the Price Family.
After high school Jerry attended Wingate Community College before transferring to North Carolina State University where he graduated in 1956 with a degree in civil engineering. After graduation he worked for Douglas Aircraft before being drafted into the Army. Jerry’s tour of duty from 1957 to 1961 in the U.S. Army Ordnance Branch allowed him to spend the first half of his Army service attending a surveying school at Ft. Belvoir in Alexandria, Virginia. One evening at a dance he met Grace McCormick. When his schooling was finished, he was sent to Ft. Hood, Texas to the Engineering Battalion. Grace went with him and they were married in 1958 in Austin, Texas.
Upon completion of his tour of duty in 1961 with the U.S. Army, Jerry chose to stay in the reserves and began working as a Facilities Engineer for Douglas Aircraft. He continued to serve in the reserves and in 1961 he became a Civil Engineer with the Tennessee Valley Authority. In 1966 he transferred back to Ft. Belvoir, in Alexandria, Virginia where he worked as a Facility Engineer for fifteen years. He then became the Facility Engineer at the Government Printing Office in Washington D.C. until retiring in 1990.
Never one to be idle, Jerry started Price’s Maintenance Service doing odd jobs in the local community. He always had a beautiful garden full of tomatoes, okra, squash, and other vegetables. Often Jerry could be found tinkering on a 1964 Chevy Impala or other vehicle, fixing a lawn mower, or on his swing each evening in the backyard.
Jerry is pre-deceased by his wife Grace McCormick of 52 years. He is survived by his daughters April P. Havens (Greg), and J. Michele Price-Minor (Mike), grandsons Glen Price Havens, Grant Page Havens and one great granddaughter Elaina Grace Havens.
Visitation will be at Mountcastle Turch Funeral Home, 13318 Occoquan Road, Woodbridge, Va. from 3-7 p.m. June 12, 2020. Graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on June 24, 2020 at Lakeland Memorial Park, Monroe, North Carolina.
In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Jerry with a memorial gift of trees. Please visit https://www.americanforests.org/ways-to-give/memorial-gift-trees/
