Jerry Christofferson, 79, of Britt, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, July 22, 2021, with his family by his side.
He was born on January 27, 1942 in Morris, MN to Oscar and Helen (Nelson) Christofferson.
Jerry graduated from Morris High School in 1960 and then headed off to the U.S. Army. He was very proud of his service. He was stationed in Germany for 31 months, the last six months at the Berlin Wall. Upon his discharge in 1963, he moved to Minneapolis and then ended up getting a finance job in Virginia, MN.
He arrived in his 1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible and was on top of the world!! In 1965 he met his wife Wanda in Thief River Falls, MN at Parkin’s Corner Drug.
In 1972, he got into the construction business with Waconia Homes, building residential houses and small commercial buildings. In the early 80’s, the interest rate rose to 20%, so in 1985 he purchased Rocket Liquor in downtown Virginia, MN. The store became his heart and soul. Jerry loved visiting with customers and friends. His favorite saying was, “We’re not in business to make money, we just want to make friends!!”
Rocket Liquor has been a central meeting place for his wife, children, and grandchildren throughout the years. Salesmen enjoyed the Wednesday “BBQ days”. Jerry loved his rocked Liquor employees and they all were family to him. When he actually took time away from the store, he enjoyed hunting on the family farm, fishing, and spending lots of family time on his houseboat on Lake Vermilion.
Opening fishing weekends were always a big event, his sons and friends always looked forward to an amazing weekend! He loved spending Friday nights having a couple of drinks and pizza with his buddies. Jerry was loved by so many people. He had a soft spot for many of his customers and often helped them in times of need.
Jerry and Wanda, along with their children, enjoyed attending the Sand Lake Chapel in Britt, MN with the Reverend Kenneth Tamte.
He adored his grandchildren and was very proud of his three children, who are all successful entrepreneurs. Jerry lived an amazing life, full of love and laughter.
Jerry is survived by his loving wife of 54 years: Wanda (Thramer) Christofferson, his children: Steven Christofferson (Terri Lemke), Kara (Joe) Petron, and Kevin (Corey) Christofferson. His 11 grandchildren: Joshua, Amanda, Stephanie, Michelle, Kaitlin, Kelsey, Levi, Maija, Jackson, Lydia, and Sophia and 5 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and only brother, Donald A. Christofferson.
The funeral service will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday, July 29, 2021 at the Landmark Funeral Home in Virginia. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service. A celebration of his life will follow the funeral service at the Elks Club in Virginia.
