Celebrating the Life and Grace of Jeri Jalene Saltzman
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Meeting ID: 810 4687 5994
Passcode: 302805

Jeri Jalene (Shutt) Saltzman of Gilbert, IA passed away on May 8, 2025 at the age of 54. Jeri is survived by her adoring husband, Ryan, her four beautiful children, Maura, Nathan, Maria, and Anna, her brother, Matt (Joy) Buckingham, and sister, Judy (John) Nowak. She was preceded in death by her father, Jerry, and mother, Jeannette.

Jeri was born on May 4, 1971 in Des Moines, IA. Her birth was under difficult circumstances as her father, Jerry, had died in a tragic construction accident during her mother's pregnancy with Jeri. Jeri was named in honor of her father. Jeri lived the majority of her youth in Indianola, IA, and she graduated from Indianola High School in 1989. She went on to attend Simpson College and the University of Iowa. She graduated from Simpson College in 1993 with a degree in Communications. In her final semester at Simpson, Jeri met Ryan. They had a short dating period and were engaged to be married within six months of dating. Jeri and Ryan were married in a beautiful ceremony on June 17,1995 in Des Moines. They had nearly thirty wonderful years together creating memories with their four beautiful children. Jeri loved being a mother. Some of her favorite memories would be family vacations to Hawaii, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota.

Jeri had a diverse work history throughout her life. She sold advertising for outdoor billboards for a few years as her first job out of college. She then became an account executive with magazine publishers for nearly ten years. This allowed for frequent travel to New York City, Dallas, and Miami. She then started having a busy house, full of young children and decided to stay at home following the birth of her second youngest child. After volunteering in her children's classrooms for several years, she decided to work full-time in the classroom as an associate helping children with learning challenges. She worked at Gilbert Elementary School for several years taking great pride and joy in the work she was doing. Her final position was as the parish administrator at her church, Gilbert Lutheran. She was the stereotypical "church Mom" doing a little bit of everything to keep things organized and running smoothly, and she loved her job. She especially enjoyed the impromptu visits from church members to just talk.

In addition to her paid positions, Jeri volunteered her time throughout the years for various groups. She was a member of the Gilbert Parks and Rec department for several years and was instrumental in raising funds to build a bike trail between Gilbert and Ames. She coached little kids' soccer and taught Sunday school classes. She helped with numerous school fundraisers and secured sponsors for the Great Ames Adventure Race. Her most recent volunteer positions were delivering groceries to the elderly through RSVP and being a docent at the Reiman Gardens Butterfly Wing.

Jeri was a beautiful person both inside and out. She was loved by so many. She was a kind, humble servant to her family, community, and church. She was the best wife, mom, and friend. She was such a bright light in this world and will be dearly missed.

Memorial services for Jeri will be held at 10:30 AM, on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at Gilbert Lutheran Church, 135 School Street, in Gilbert, with Reverend Christian Johnson officiating.

Immediately following the memorial service at the church, friends are invited to join the family at Prairie Moon Winery and Vineyards, 3801 West 190th Street, in Ames.

In lieu of flowers and other customary remembrances, Jeri's family suggests that memorial contributions may be directed to Central Iowa RSVP or the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition - Team Fox and sent to the family's attention at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care, 414 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa, 50010.