January 22, 1929 – September 9, 2020

Jerry Rawles was born on January 22nd, 1929 to Billie and George Rawles in Great Falls Montana where he was raised with his brother and sister. He was an Eagle Scout and later became a Scout Master for the Boy Scouts. He was also an all state football player and was named all state in 1947.

Jerry went to work for the Great Northern Railroad in 1948. He was also very involved with the development of the Kings Hill Ski Area outside of Great Falls. In 1956 he moved to Libby Montana where he became a traffic clerk for the J. Neils Lumber Company. In 1958 he married Suzie Rawles the love of his life and in the following years they had 3 sons, Scott Kirk and Mike. During this time he also became the president of Kootenai Winter Sports which developed the Turner Mountain ski area near Libby. He loved his family and skiing and these would be his life long passions.

In 1968 Jerry was promoted to Traffic Manager with the Champion International Lumber Company and the family moved to Tacoma Washington. He would work with Champion until his retirement in 1989. He was active as a coach in youth sports and supported all of his son’s athletic endeavors.

In 1995 Jerry and Suzie moved to Breckenridge Colorado. They enjoyed skiing and the Colorado lifestyle for 25 years and Jerry skied until he was 85 years old. They also started a cottage industry of recycling ski poles and skis and producing wind chimes and ski benches. All proceeds were donated to the BOEC.

Jerry is survived by his wife Suzie, sons Scott,(Jacque) Kirk,(Laurie) Mike(Annie) and daughter Nancy(Barry) and his 5 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Jerry’s name to the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center or Bristlecone Health Services.

Due to Covid 19 concerns a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.