Jerry Orion Dillon

December 7, 1943 – December 28, 2015

Jerry Orion Dillon, 72, of Moses Lake, WA died Dec. 28, 2015. Jerry, son of Richard and Helen Dillon, passed away at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Wash. from natural causes. He is survived by his two sisters Bobby and Lou, son Steven and daughter Marci. He is also survived by two great-grandchildren, four grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Jerry was preceded in death by his mother Helen, father Richard and his brother Butch.

Jerry was born in Telluride, Colo. on Dec. 7, 1943 and began playing guitar and writing his own music at a very young age. His family moved to Ritzville, Wash. where he attended junior high and high school and excelled at track and football. However, his true love was writing and playing music. After high school, Jerry moved to Moses Lake where he became a very popular singer/songwriter in the ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s and could often be seen playing Friday and Saturday nights at numerous venues in the Moses Lake/Central Washington area where he always “packed the house.” His popularity and his ability to write his own music got him noticed. In 1987, Jerry got an opportunity to travel to Nashville to make a country-western album. The highlight was getting to open for Hank Williams, Jr. in Norman, Okla. and being mentioned in Billboard magazine along with playing with some of the best musicians in Nashville. including Elvis Presley’s own “The Jordanaires” who sang backup on his album. He has many wonderful stories of his time spent in Nashville and some of the personalities he ran around with.

Not only was Jerry a popular musician but he was also a local businessman. Jerry owned and operated Jerry’s Body Shop in Moses Lake throughout the ’70s and ’80s until retiring from body work in the early ’90s. Jerry was an avid golfer and was one of the early members who joined the Moses Lake Country Club in the late ’60s. He won several club championships in the ’70’s and ’80’s. Jerry excelled with everything he put his mind too and most would say “he’s just good at everything.” Jerry got his pilot’s license in the early ’70s and flew his twin engine Cherokee all over the Pacific Northwest and even took a few long trips to Colorado for family reunions and gatherings. He also loved telling jokes, fishing, hunting, camping, rebuilding old cars and motorcycles and taking road trips on his Harley. He was one of the most likable people you will ever meet with a contagious laugh and personality. He is being greatly missed by his family and friends.