Jerrolyn Rae Bontempi

It is with great sadness that the family of Jerrolyn Rae (Dolson) Bontempi, 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. She was a proud descendant of revolutionary politician and Supreme Court justice James Wilson. Born February 20, 1936, in Mattoon, Ill, she attended Longfellow Grade School, graduated a year early in 1953 from Mattoon High School and attended Utterbach Business College. 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 other interests. Her decades-long career spanned diverse fields, highlights of which include defense and aerospace with top secret clearance at Sandia Laboratories; computer technology as a programmer and head of quality assurance technician at Timesharing Consultants, INC. and Magnum Computer Systems and others; medical administration 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 and was an outspoken member of her community, publishing several letters in her city's newspaper. Jerri will forever be remembered for her mix of adventurous spirit, dogged support, and tough pragmatism, all in measured doses. She was an avid traveler, holding special fondness for Sidney, Australia and New York City. She stayed active as long as she could with camping, racquetball, tennis, riding in the Tour de Tucson, and swimming, and as a scratch bowler in numerous leagues. She was always keen for new experiences, whether learning to fire a gun, going skydiving in her 50s, learning macramé, riding in hot air balloons, learning to paint with oils and water colors, or belly dancing. She introduced her children to yoga, and taught them headstands and walkovers into her 40s. She was a lifelong vanquisher of crossword puzzles, a feared Scrabble opponent and a skilled cards partner. She was a brilliant and daring cook, changing with the times from meatloaf and tuna casserole to quinoa salad and gluten-free cakes. She loved animals, and was a conscientious and steadfast caretaker, most recently to her beloved Rottweilers Beau and Missy. She had strong faith in God, gentle hope for His people, and a generous nature obvious to all who knew her. She was a rabid supporter of the Arizona Wildcats. She loved the music of Neil Diamond, Barbara Streisand, Harry Bellifonte, Bette Midler, Johnny Mathis, Engelbert Humperdink and the Student Prince. Her favorite actors were Omar Sharif, Lawrence Olivier, Robin Williams, and George Clooney, and she showed admirable restraint as a next door neighbor, for a short time, to a young Burt Reynolds. 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 5-8pm, Rosary at 7pm, at Bring Funeral Home, 236 S Scott Avenue, Tucson, AZ. A High Mass funeral will be celebrated March 16, 2013 at 10am 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 Foodbank 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. As Jerri would have said, "I resemble that remark."