Horticulture and Forestry were Jerry O'Neil's training, profession and passion. Everywhere in the world he went, he was most interested in inspecting the local trees and other plants. Gardening was a hobby he passed down to his children, with varying degrees of success.


Jerry O'Neil in the early 1970s

Gerald John O'Neil was born to Michael and Agnes O'Neil on December 15, 1919 in Simpson, Minnesota, just south of Rochester. There were six children, oldest brother Ed, followed by Gerald, Clarence, Leo, Art and Mary. They had a big garden and an orchard on their farm, producing black walnuts, apples, plums, raspberries, other berries, tomatoes, and vegetables. Gerald's brother Ed and some other family members called him "Jack," but he became known as "Jerry" when he went out into the world.

In 1937, Jerry graduated from Rochester High School, then attended the Boy Scout Jamboree as an Eagle Scout in Washington, DC that summer. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Forestry at the University of Minnesota, but the military didn't need trained foresters during World War II. Jerry became a radioman and cryptographic technician with the US Army Signal Corps, assigned to northern Manitoba. He was not a fan of that type of work, so after the war he returned to forestry, enrolling again at the University of Minnesota to get a Master's Degree.

At the UM St. Paul "farm" campus, he met Clara Ann Block who grew up on a farm in central Minnesota and was majoring in Home Economics. However, they really didn't begin dating until both had graduated and moved elsewhere in Minnesota, Jerry to a logging camp in the far north and Clara to a teaching job in Long Prairie. Somehow they made their long-distance courtship work and it culminated in marriage on Thanksgiving Day, 1949.


Jerry and Clara, Thanksgiving Day, 1949

The newlyweds moved to LaCrosse, Wisconsin where Jerry operated a landscaping business and the Green Thumb plant nursery. Their contributions to the Baby Boom were Gregory John (1950), Patrick Michael (1951), Kathleen Mary (1953) and Thomas Gerard (1956). While in LaCrosse, Jerry leased land from his parents on which to raise Christmas trees, an activity in which the entire family participated for the next 20+ years. (Jerry always had a side hustle in addition to his regular job, such as landscaping for local motels and selling Christmas trees in the Safeway parking lot.)

In 1958, Jerry accepted a position as Forester with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department. After time in Sioux Falls (District Forester) and the state capital of Pierre (Deputy State Forester), in 1961 he became the Assistant State Forester in the Black Hills. Clara wrote years later that Jerry was "elated" by the move as the Black Hills have many more trees than other parts of the state. The O'Neils settled in Rapid City, their home for the next 25 years. The back yard at 117 E. Nevada was a showcase for his gardening skills.

Jerry left GFP and became the Forester for Black Hills Power and Light in 1966, where he was until his retirement in 1984. Clara was a Home Economics teacher at North Junior High School in Rapid City. Jerry and Clara were active members in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish and the Knights of Columbus (he was Rapid City Grand Knight 1977-79). He also was active in Toastmasters, a club for improving public speaking and leadership skills.

Jerry and Clara moved to Houston in 1985 to be nearer to Gregg and his family. Jerry already had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at that point and Houston's medical facilities also were a consideration. Their house in Houston had an attached greenhouse, another inducement to make the move. Jerry passed away due to complications from Parkinson's Disease in September 1991 and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Houston next to Clara (d. 2018). At his passing he had five grandchildren (Sean, Lauren, Kelle, Kasey and Deva) with a sixth on the way (Jay).

Professionally, Jerry O'Neil was a recognized advocate for sound forestry practices:

  • Forest Manager of the Year in South Dakota, 1984, as named by the Society of American Foresters. He joined the SAF in 1948 and was recognized as a Life Member.
  • Active member of Keep South Dakota Green starting 1958. He was the organization's Executive Secretary 1961-65, and was on the Board of Directors 1965-85. In 1970 he was part of the KSDG delegation which delivered the National Christmas Tree, a 78-foot Black Hills Spruce, to Washington, DC.
  • Appointed by South Dakota Governor Nils Boe to the Governor's Committee on Outdoor Recreation, 1965.
  • Also a member of the South Dakota Tree Farm Program Committee, South Dakota Forest Advisory Committee, the Rapid City Urban Forestry Board, and the Soil Conservation Society of America.

But beyond the official organizations and recognition, one memory I have of my Dad was when I was working at the newspaper in Sturgis, SD in the early 1980s. His job as the BHP&L Forester involved a lot of driving around the Black Hills, and whenever he passed through Sturgis he usually dropped by my office just to say hi. As soon as he walked in the door, my Associate Editor Doreen would corner him and pepper him with gardening questions, which he handled with good grace and great expertise. She recognized a Master when she saw one.

In August 2025, the brass tag shown above was placed in Tom's greenhouse on the grounds of Gregg's Spruce Lodge, Red Lodge, Montana.

Tom O'Neil
August 4, 2025

 


Jerry with Pat, Kathy and Gregg at the Green Thumb plant
nursery in LaCrosse, Wisconsin 1956. Tom was a newborn.

 


Jerry took this picture of the National Christmas
Tree, a Black Hills Spruce, 1970.

 


Officially a Master.

 


The greenhouse in Red Lodge, Montana.