Obituary of Jerry Rhea Woodard

Jerry Rhea Woodard, age 73 of Hermitage, Tennessee, passed away on Monday, December 14th, 2020 after a battle with COVID-19. The Graveside Service, conducted by Rev. Dr. Timothy Boyd, will be held at Mt. Juliet Memorial Gardens on Friday, December 18th, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. Anyone that plans to be in attendance for the graveside service is asked to please meet at the cemetery. The family will receive friends for a visitation at Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet on Thursday, December 17th from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. The family also respectfully request anyone in attendance for the visitation and graveside service to please wear a mask and practice social distancing for the safety of others. Jerry Rhea Woodard was born on Monday, February 24th, 1947 in Riddleton, Tennessee, a son of the late Bronice and Gertrude Woodard of the Riddleton community. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brother-in-law, Gerald Dias of Cato, Tennessee. He is survived by loving wife of 25 years, Sharon “Toni” Boyd Woodard of Hermitage; son, Mich Woodard of Gallatin; daughter, Katina (James) Parsley of Lebanon; step-son, Mike Burrows of Nashville; grandson, Derek Parsley of Lebanon; sister, Peggy Dias of Cato; brother, Billy (Connie) Woodard of Madison; sisters, Robbie Woodard of Madison and Betty (E.L.) Watson of Riddleton; brother-in-law, Tim (Evelyn) Boyd of Shawnee, Kansas; sister-in-law, Doris Boyd (Fred) Mitchell of Smyrna; many beloved nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins also survive. Jerry worked at Methodist Publishing House for over 20 years. After leaving there, he owned his own lawn service in East Nashville. He loved his big family and often talked about all the great and fun times together. His greatest hobby was fishing. Jerry loved to go fishing and some of his most fun times were fishing with his wife, brothers-in-law, nephews, and numerous fishing buddies. He also enjoyed hunting for many years with family and friends. The family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to the 7th floor and MICU at Tristar Summit Medical Center for everything they did during Jerry’s COVID-19 treatment. In lieu of flowers, please address memorial contributions to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Jerry had two types of Leukemia and Lymphoma. He received exceptional treatment from Dr. Jesus Berdeja, the late Dr. Eric Raefsky, their staff and hospital staff during this time. Because of their treatment and many prayers, God blessed Jerry with an extra 7 ½ years on this Earth. For that, we are forever grateful. To donate by mail please address contributions to: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, PO Box 98018, Washington, DC 20090-8018; to contribute online please visit: https://donate.lls.org/lls/donate. Arrangements by Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet, 2229 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122, 615-758-5459, obituary line 615-758-8818, www.sellarsfuneralservices.com.