Jerry Edwin Bullard

Jerry Edwin Bullard of Leesburg passed away on August 28, 2022. A memorial service will be held at Kimbrell Stern Funeral Home on Saturday, September 3, 11:00 a.m. The Rev. Roy Cook will officiate. Family visitation will be one hour prior to the service at 10:00 a.m. Jerry was the youngest child of five of Jim & Simmie Lee Bullard. He was born and raised in Edison, Georgia and was a three-sport athlete in high school. He branched out of the small town when he joined the United States Army after high school graduation. He was proud of the time he served his beloved country including several years dredging the Panama Canal. Post military life, he started a career at Proctor & Gamble in Albany. He retired from the Bounty paper towel division in 1994 and was a P&G contractor in Cincinnati, Ohio and Manchester, England for several years before retiring full-time. In 1985, he fought against the battle of alcoholism. He defeated the addiction by never consuming another ounce of alcohol which takes strong self-discipline, determination, and grit. He was a member of the local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) until the early 1990’s. He was also a member of Gillionville Baptist Church. He was friendly to every store clerk, waitress, and stranger with a wit and hearty laugh. He loved to tease and make others smile with his friendliness and southern one-liner sayings. Sometimes strangers were taken aback by his nature because it is not every day that people will take notice of somebody they do not know by simply making a funny joke or grinning to say hello. Jerry was an excellent cook and loved spending time in the kitchen cooking down home southern meals. He was also an excellent baker known for his red velvet cake and pound cakes. If he knew someone liked his cakes, he would bake one for a birthday or a time of need. His out-of-town sons and grandchildren always knew a fresh baked cake would be in the kitchen when they arrived. His wife of fifty years, Jean R. Bullard, preceded him in death twenty-two days prior to him on August 6, 2022. He raised his two stepsons like his very own, Jeff Martin (Lynn) and Richard Martin (Rose Marie). He enjoyed being a grandfather to five grandchildren: Claire Martin, Lindsey Martin, Hatcher Martin, Nathan Martin, and Katie Martin. The family would like to thank the staff of Wynfield Park Health & Rehabilitation for their care and the staff of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital’s SICU unit for their compassion and candor. Many thanks to friends and extended family for visits, cards, and encouragement. Contributions may be made to the NEXT giving program of Gillionville Baptist Church in lieu of flowers.

Jerry Edwin Bullard

May 21, 1943 - August 28, 2022