Gerald Voelliger, Sr.

Funeral services for Gerald A. Voelliger Sr., 85, retired Volunteer Fire Chief of the Bettendorf Fire Department, will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, March 20, 2014 at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf.  Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the services on Thursday at the funeral home.  Burial will follow in Oakdale Memorial Gardens in Davenport.  Memorials may be made to the Bettendorf Fire Department Explorer Program or to the Bettendorf Parks Foundation.

Mr. Voelliger passed away on Sunday, March 16, 2014 at UnityPoint Health in Bettendorf after a sudden illness.

He was born June 12, 1928 in Davenport, the son of Arthur J. & Esther R. (Christensen) Voelliger.  He was a graduate of the former Davenport High School and had attended Augustana College in Rock Island.

Gerry was united in marriage to Marian R. Curry on June 3, 1951.

Gerry had worked alongside his father, Art, his uncle, Paul and his cousin, Norman at the Voelliger Texaco Service Station in Bettendorf.  He joined the Bettendorf Fire Department in 1949 as a volunteer and became Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief in 1964.  Mr. Voelliger became the Volunteer Fire Chief in 1987 and retired in 1990 after forty-one years of service.  He had also served as the Scott County Deputy Assessor from 1969 to 1990.

In retirement, he and Marian enjoyed traveling the world over the years and vacationing on cruises.  They enjoyed spending winters at their home in Marco Island, Florida.  The family vacationed for many years at Flour Lake in northern Minnesota.  He enjoyed fishing and was an avid bicyclist.  Gerry was also an accomplished woodworker and craftsman, having constructed many wooden keepsake boxes and he had also enjoyed painting.

He had also volunteered for the John Deere Classic for many years.  Gerry supported his grandchildrens’ events and attended their functions diligently.

Those left to honor his memory include his wife of sixty-two years, Marian; his sons and daughters-in-law, Gerald Jr. & Lynne Voelliger and Todd & Stacy Voelliger, all of Bettendorf; and his grandchildren, Ryan, Lindsay, Dillon and Joshua.

He was preceded in death by his parents.