Jerry “Doc” Halladay was born June 19, 1950 in Ruidoso, NM to parents Blair and Shirley Halladay (Watson). After high school, Jerry entered the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, CA. It was in Lompoc that he met, and later married, Patty Anderson. Jerry and Patty had three children. Jerry and Patty moved to Los Alamos in 1974, shortly after the birth of their first child, where Jerry started a 30-year career at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Jerry and Patty divorced in 1985 and he never remarried.
Jerry learned to fly private airplanes in his early teens and soloed his first flight before he had a driver’s license for cars. He was always interested in flight whether it be flying real airplanes or, later, logging thousands of hours on the flight simulator on his home computer. His passion for flight simulators led him to the role of CEO of Atlantic Skies Airlines, a virtual airline company, for many years.
Jerry greatly enjoyed camping with his family, riding his numerous motorcycles, playing guitar, golfing, playing tennis and watching televised sports.
In early 2018, Jerry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which slowly ate away at his motor skills and balance. While this disease eventually forced him to stop riding motorcycles and playing tennis, he always kept a positive attitude and spent a great deal of time with his grandchildren forging strong bonds with them. He never let his disease symptoms wear him down.
As his Parkinson’s progressed, he stated many times that he didn’t want to let it bring his attitude down and he vowed to keep a positive attitude. He kept that vow, impressing all of us who spent time with him. He wasn’t afraid of death and, instead, more curious about it despite being sure, for all practical purposes, there was no such thing as an afterlife.
Jerry was preceded in death by his father, Blair Halladay, mother, Shirley Halladay, and only brother, Terry Halladay. Jerry is survived by his three children and their spouses; Jason Halladay (Allison), Dylan Halladay (Amber) and Leigh Ann Halladay and his four grandchildren; Zackary, Haileigh, Caiden and Spencer as well as several other beloved friends.
To honor Jerry’s brave battle with Parkinson’s disease, the family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to help find a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Please visit michaeljfox.org to make a tribute donation.
Please visit www.riverafamilyfuneralhome.com to view Jerry’s favorite poem regarding the end of life, Let Me Go by Christina Rossetti, and to leave memories, photos, and condolences for the Halladay family to cherish.