Jerry Cousins

February 20, 1944 ~ May 16, 2023

A casual farewell for Jerry, who passed away on May 16, 2023,  will be held on  August 13, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm , location the Big Tent at Watertown, Lac du Bonnet. Jerry is missed by his wife, Juanita, son, Michael (Shauna), as well as his siblings, Frances (Jim) Parker and Barry. Jerry also leaves numerous cousins, special friends and his work family.

Born February 20, 1944 at Pine Falls, MB, Jerry was raised and educated in Whitemouth, MB and Minaki, ON. One of his first jobs was at a marina in Minaki, where he learned to love the mechanical world of outboard motors, and exploring the Winnipeg River.  Jerry’s grandfather built and owned Pioneer Garage in Whitemouth, later taken over by his aunts, uncles and his dad, Fred.  This is where he acquired valuable knowledge of auto-mechanics. He then took an auto-body course at MIT in Winnipeg, and worked in that field for Terra’s Auto Body, and Melnick’s. He also worked for Lorne Molinski in plumbing and heating.

In 1965, he married Juanita Kondratuk (from Otter Falls).  In 1966, Jerry bought his first snowmobile and by 1967, became a member of the Beausejour Polaris Racing Team.  He then raced for and took a job with the Polaris distributor, H.C. Paul, Ltd. in Winnipeg.  There he was first exposed to Mercury Outboards and he became a master outboard mechanic and instructor.

In 1972, Jerry, along with Juanita and son, Michael, took a gigantic leap, left his job and took on the task of building a marine dealership at Otter Falls. By 1982, he was able to buy a Cessna 172 floatplane for his family business.  For many years he flew with Juanita,  Michael or others to numerous northern fishing lodges to provide courtesy camp service.  After 20 years of hard work, total success and many awards from Mercury Marine, the Cousins family moved their growing business to Lac du Bonnet under the name Watertown, where they continued to grow their business.

Jerry took pride in his dealership, 50 years of ongoing commitment and dedicated service with Mercury Marine, and was especially proud of his family and his work family.  One of his greatest passions was design and inventing, always sketching new ideas, and he patented several.  In 2006 Jerry and Juanita moved to Whitemouth where they built a nine hole golf course and eventually a new home. After 70 years of age, Jerry learned to play guitar, and together with Juanita and friends formed a band, The Antique Collection, and enjoyed entertaining.

The Cousins family and Watertown crew will be hosting a Casual Farewell for Jerry on  Sunday, August 13, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, location the big tent by the river at Watertown, Lac du Bonnet with music and lunch.

www.soberingfuneralchapel.com

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