Final Salute

With a love of history and a gift for conversation, Gerald E. Lybolt, Jr. (Jerry) was born March 18, 1940 in Illinois. He died unexpectedly and too soon on January 27, 2022 in Oxnard, California – but not before a full life collecting loved ones, friends, and classic cars.
Upon graduating from Chicago Vocational School in 1959, Jerry enlisted in the United States Navy where as a Seabee he landed in Port Hueneme, California. He served his term honorably, and while military service was not his passion, California and the family he built there were.
Jerry was a talented and skilled welder. There was not a welding job too challenging for him to master from the Queen Mary in Long Beach to oil rigs along the California coast. He served Iron Worker’s Local 433 proudly. He also overcame many physical obstacles with a stubborn conviction including childhood polio and, later as an adult, alcoholism. He persevered through the imperfections and lived a good life.
Jerry loved to restore cars and was devoted to his car club the Milestone Car Society in Oxnard, California helping the club stage yearly father’s day car shows. He enjoyed his coffee and breakfast at Mrs. Olsons. He also embraced reading, including thoroughly every exhibit label when at a museum, and never met a road he was not willing to road trip on.
Jerry also was a good, loving, and giving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend to too many to list. He shared a special twinkle in his blue eyes for his grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents Gerald E. Lybolt, Sr. and Margaret (Peggy) Lybolt, aunts Hazel Evans and Vi Hurst, son Michael Lybolt, niece Elizabeth Ball Torres, nephew Jeremiah Lybolt, sister Kathy Ball, and brothers-in-law Frederic Ball and Gene Nuss.
He is survived by his loving wife Bernice (Bee) Lybolt, daughter Robin Lybolt (Debra Wagner) son David Lybolt (Tricia Geddes), stepsons Ted, Mick, Brad, Matt, and Jerry Allen, sister Mary Jane Lybolt-Nuss, brothers John (Mary Lou) and David Lybolt, grandsons Jacob Allen, Drew and Simon Lybolt-Wagner, Kylijah Lybolt, and Tyler Allen, granddaughter Karissa Lybolt, nieces Susan Ball and Sarah Lybolt, nephews Joshua Lybolt (Maggie) and Matthew Lybolt (Karen) and great nephew Francis Torres (Erica), and many other loving in laws, family, and friends.
A celebration of his life is to be determined covid permitting. Anyone wishing to honor his memory in the meantime may consider donating to:
* Society for Prevention Teen Suicide at sptsusa.org
or
* Palmer Drug Abuse Program Ventura Country at www.pdapofventura.com
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Gerald E. Lybolt, please visit our floral store.