Gerald “Jerry” Stiffler

Gerald “Jerry” Stiffler lived his life on his own terms. He did so with integrity, kindness and tenacity. He had a quiet, gentle presence that was punctuated by a sharp sense of humor.

Jerry was born and grew up in Seattle, lived most of his life and raised his beloved family in Edmonds, ran a successful dentistry practice in Lynnwood for three decades, and spent many winters in Tucson enjoying the desert with his wife, Marji, and playing countless rounds of doubles tennis.

Jerry died on Aug. 10, 2024, at age 87.

Throughout his life, Jerry had a strong moral and ethical compass – though he often viewed rules as open to interpretation and flexible in application. He was hard-working, determined and ambitious, but not driven by ego. He did the things that he wanted to do in the way he wanted to do them – traits that those close to him often attributed to his Icelandic heritage. He adored his family and provided well for them, and pursued a career that fulfilled him. He built a life that brought joy to himself and his loved ones.

Jerry was the first child for Gordon and Olga, née Gislason, and would be followed by brothers Dennis and Phillip. His family lived in northwest Seattle near extended family. Jerry graduated from Lincoln High School in 1955 and attended the University of Washington, becoming the first in his family to pursue higher education. While at the UW, Jerry married his first wife, Carol, and had two daughters, Cindi and Charla. They later divorced.

After graduating in 1959 with a degree in chemical engineering, Jerry worked on the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Eastern Washington. He held jobs with other companies in his field, but Jerry’s independent streak led him to realize that he wanted to be his own boss. He liked to help people and enjoyed working with his hands, leading to his enrollment in the UW School of Dentistry in 1964.

Three years later, a friend suggested that he invite a colleague’s daughter for a July day of waterskiing at Mason Lake, where Jerry’s parents had a rustic cabin on the shore. Jerry called Marjorie “Marji” Morrison, a recent transplant from Southern California, and asked her out.

Marji confessed to not knowing how to waterski, but she liked Jerry’s kind manner and agreed to the blind date. She still recalls being at the lake that day and the moment she looked up at Jerry, sitting on an elevated diving platform, and knowing that he would be her husband. A couple of weeks later, Jerry asked Marji if she’d like to get married when he graduated dental school the following June. In a move shockingly out of character, Marji countered, “What’s wrong with next week?”

Four weeks after they met, Jerry and Marji exchanged vows at the Edmonds Methodist Church. The ceremony was small, and Marji sewed her own pale pink wedding dress.

The couple was devotedly married for nearly 57 years, welcoming two daughters, Lisa and Kristine, and working as a team in running the dental practice. Jerry is remembered by his family as a deeply loyal spouse and partner, and for his unconditional love and support of his daughters.

Jerry was in many ways a consummate engineer – autodidactic, self-reliant and always problem solving. He built and repaired equipment for his dental office; assembled his own neoprene scuba suit; designed and planted a Japanese-style garden at his home in Edmonds; and created architectural plans for his family’s summer house on Mason Lake. He consumed stacks of books on wide-ranging topics and amassed a collection of volumes on how to improve one’s tennis game, filling them with highlighted passages.

Jerry was a talented dentist, though he was perhaps most admired for his gentle, caring approach to dentistry. Even patients with histories of poor dental care that left them anxious and embarrassed had transformational experiences when Jerry became their provider.

In addition to tennis, Jerry’s other hobbies through his life included boating in the Puget Sound and San Juan Islands, skillfully sculpting figures in clay, downhill skiing and running. Jerry and Marji loved traveling together and with friends and family, and visited Japan, Mexico, the Bahamas, Italy and other European countries.

Jerry had Alzheimer’s disease in his final years, but retained until his passing his sense of humor and considerate ways, answering the question “what are you up to?” with a joking “no good.” He would help someone less able make their way to a dinner table, offer food and drink to anyone in his company, and when words escaped him, Jerry always had a wink or thumbs up to make a connection.

Jerry is survived by Marji; his daughters Cindi Turner, Charla Mandel, Lisa Stiffler and Kristine Stiffler and their husbands; grandchildren Scott, Heidi, Siobhan and Lucinda; great grandchildren; and brothers, cousins and nephews and nieces.

Donations in honor of Jerry may be made to the Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic.