Jerry Winford Adams

Jerry Winford Adams, 87, went to be with our Lord on February 18, 2022, at the age of 87, with his wife and daughters by his side. He was born May 25, 1934, to Chester T. and Wilma McMillian Adams.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, February 21, 2022, at 1:00pm in the sanctuary of Lawn Baptist Church, directed by Fry~Smith Funeral Home, Tuscola. A visitation was held on Sunday, February 20 from 4 to 6pm at the funeral home in Tuscola.
Jerry graduated from South Taylor High School in 1952. He attended Texas A&M University in 1952-1953. He left A&M after reading both books and decided to head north to the more elite Texas Tech University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1956 and a Master of Education in 1967. Along with Texas Tech University during his Master's program, he helped write and published "The Handbook for Roberts' Rule of Parliamentary Procedure", known to all FFA members as "The Little Yellow Book". He held a Principals Mid-Management Certificate and a Superintendents Certificate from Abilene Christian University.

Jerry began his teaching career in Muleshoe as a Vocational Agriculture teacher from 1956-1961. While at Muleshoe, he met and married his greatest catch Donna White Adams. They then moved to Abernathy where he taught Vocational Agriculture for eighteen years, 1961-1979. While at Abernathy, he began a Texas Young Farmers Program that grew to over thirty young farmers. The chapter was selected as the Texas Young Farmer Chapter of the year on two separate occasions. Four of the young farmers were selected as Texas' Most Outstanding Farmers. He held numerous Vocational Agriculture workshops for Texas Tech University. He and nine teachers wrote the curriculum for "The Farm Mechanics Program" for the state of Texas. Jerry mentored many agriculture student teachers from Texas Tech University and was instrumental in the education of the first two women agriculture teachers that graduated from Texas Tech. In 2011, the new agriculture facility was dedicated in Jerry's name along with the four teachers who followed in his footsteps. He helped pilot the first "Farm and Power Mechanics Shop Program" in Texas. After leaving Abernathy, Jerry and Donna planted their roots in the city of Tuscola where he became the high school principal at Jim Ned High School from 1979-1990. Jerry retired from Jim Ned in 1990 but did not leave the education scene. He joined the Region Fourteen Board of Directors and served the education community for an additional fourteen years. At his time of death, he was serving on the Tuscola Water Board. One of his most rewarding and fulfilling positions he held was in his service to the Lord. He served as a deacon at the First Baptist Church in Abernathy and Lawn Baptist Church for over 50 years. During his service, he had the privilege to join his church family on mission trips and enjoyed participating in the upkept of the church facilities and landscape.

Jerry was an avid fisherman. He always had a knack for finding the "honey holes" and catches everyone else's fish for the day. He was a man of the Lord and now everyone who welcomed him to heaven has to put up with his quick wit.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his six siblings, Mary Phipps, Fern Wood Beaver, Ralph Adams, Willa Glyn "Bitty" Popnoe, Patty Wayne Rossen, and Janie Beth Smith Thompson.

He is survived by his wife Donna White Adams; daughters, Torie and Steve Anderson, Becky and Mark Heath; grandchildren, Kris Ortiz, Samantha and Chris Ybarbo, Aubrey and Micah Kissler, Angie and Paul Blair, Luke Ortiz and Molly Anderson; great Grandchildren, Ty and Derek Kissler, Ryland Kieth, Raleigh and Reese Ortiz, Evie and Kaylie Blair, and Conner and Cooper Ybarbo; brother in-law amd good friend Jake Popnoe and numerous, beloved nieces, nephew, cousins and countless friends.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to On the Way Home Ministries or Lawn Baptist Church.