Jerrolyn Rae (Dolson) Bontempi
It is with great sadness that the family of Jerrolyn, age 77, announces her passing into God's arms on Thursday, March 7, 2013 after a brief illness. Jerri was the loving daughter of the late Kenneth Myers Dolson and the late Emily Miner (Duckworth) Dolson, and granddaughter of the late Harry and Sarah Ann Duckworth. A Tayloresque beauty, she was elected ROTC Sweetheart and Homecoming Queen in the same year, and later placed in a New Mexico beauty pageant. She turned down a career in modeling to pursue a career that spanned diverse fields, with top secret clearance at Sandia Laboratories; as head of quality assurance at Timesharing Consultants, INC. and Magnum Computer Systems and others; as an admissions associate at Kino Community hospital; finally retiring from civil service as a clerk at the Pima County offices. She volunteered for the Congressional campaigns of Gabrielle Giffords. Jerri will forever be remembered for her adventurous spirit, dogged support, and tough pragmatism. She was an avid traveler, enjoyed an active life, crosswords, and the Arizona Wildcats. Her favorite things were hummingbirds, butterflies, fresh flowers and painted nails, and she loved purple. She was beautiful, brave, witty, intelligent, compassionate, creative, stubborn, sensitive and strong; and modest to a fault. She is survived by her four loving children, Dominique (Nicki) Ann McLaughlin of Tucson, Sarah Lynn Bontempi of Tucson, Dr. Lisa Marie York of Payson, AZ and Christopher Dominic Bontempi and his wife, Kristin Marie Bontempi of Southington, CT and her nine grandchildren, Chase, Devin, Daralyn and Valen McLaughlin, Ava Bontempi, Caitlin and Merlyn York and Will Torpey and Malia Bontempi and was looking forward to the birth of her tenth grandchild in November; her loving brother, James Reese Dolson and his wife, Gloria of Lancaster, CA; her loving sister, Sally Dolson Ryan and her husband, Stephen of Mattoon, IL. Jerri is also survived by her cousins, Sue Dannenburg Tucker of Terre Haute, Indiana, Martha (Weaver) Kolenski of Sacremento, California and Maryann (Dolson) Benoit of Livermore, California. Jerri was married to Joe Wade until 1957 and Dominic Robert Bontempi until 1973. She will be sadly missed by her devoted friends, Charlotte Dickson and Edna Hildum of Tucson and her cherished friends from MHS classes of 1952-53. Her family will receive friends on Friday, March 15, 2013, from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Rosary at 7:00 p.m., at BRING'S MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 236 S. Scott Ave., Tucson, AZ. A High Mass Funeral will be celebrated Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Cyril's of Alexandria Church, 4725 E. Pima Street, Tucson, AZ, with burial to follow at All Faiths Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jerri's name to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, the Community Food bank of Tucson, or Saint Cyril's of Alexandria Church. For condolences or directions, please visit www.bringfuneralhome.com.
Without change, there would be no butterflies.