Jerry L. VanOppen Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Jerry L. VanOppen, 70, of Peoria, passed away at home after a short battle with pancreatic cancer on Monday, June 6, 2022. He was born in Peoria on August 11, 1951, to Delbert and Eileen (Young) VanOppen. He married his best friend since middle school, Cheryl Coffey, in Hanna City on August 19, 1972; she survives. Also surviving are his children, Tammy (Megan McKee) VanOppen of Peoria, Chad (Andrea) VanOppen of Washington, and Trisha (Blake) Hoogerwerf of Bartonville; and his four grandchildren, Makenna, Dylan, Damien, and Brayden. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, James; and his infant twin brother, Terry. Jerry retired from Caterpillar after 42 years as a machine operator. He loved nothing more than being a husband, dad and grandpa. He coached his kids in sports and continued to support his grandchildren in their events through the years. In his spare time, he enjoyed woodworking. He was a member of the Caterpillar Retiree’s Breakfast Club and loved camping with family and dear friends at Stonefort Campground and feeding his fish bread on the lake. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, 2022, at Gary Deiters Funeral Home & Cremation Services in East Peoria. A Funeral Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 10, 2022, at the funeral home, with burial following at Swan Lake Memory Gardens in Peoria. Memorial contributions may be made to the Bartonville St. Jude Runners at https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/PeoriaRuns/PeoriaRuns?px=2513061&pg=personal&fr_id=136312 Online condolences may be left at www.GaryDeitersFH.com.

Jerry L. VanOppen

August 11, 1951 - June 6, 2022