Gerald "Jerry" Owen Lankford, Sr., age 93 of Effingham, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 11, 2025 at Evergreen Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Effingham.

Services will be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Effingham at 3:00 PM with visitation from 1:00 PM until the time of service. Interment will follow at Arborcrest Memorial Park. Pastors Trey Dille, Mike Burdick, and Gary Fortkamp will preside. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church or the donor's choice.

Jerry was born on October 11, 1931 in Jackson Township, in Effingham County, the son of Owen "Butch" and Ena (Loy) Lankford. He married the love of his life, Vernabelle Pagel, on February 26, 1965 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Effingham, Illinois. Jerry was famous for his cooking, and everyone especially loved his dressing and his coffee cake at gatherings of family and friends. He was a great lover of the outdoors, and was unstoppable doing the things he enjoyed, including fishing, deer hunting, and tinkering. Jerry and Vernabelle also loved spending time feeding the birds in their backyard. His favorite birds to watch were the cardinals, the friendliest of which he named "Old Red". He loved the Lord and was a member of the St. John's Lutheran Church for over 50 years.

Jerry is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Vernabelle Lankford, as well as his daughters, Valena Soltwedel  (George) of Effingham, Illinois, Jadean Dirks (Doug) of Rochester, Illinois, and Scarlet Rios of Fort Meade, Florida, as well as 8 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, and his sister, LoElla Baker (Curt) of Effingham, Illinois.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Owen and Ena Lankford; sons, Greg Lankford and Bo Lankford; brothers LaVerl Lankford, Franklin "Dee" Lankford, Noah "Lonnie" Lankford, Fred Lankford; and sisters, Pat Brown and Kathy Lankford Huelsing.