JoEllen Hyde

Gerald DeGroff

Simply Cremations by Wilks

Gerald Ralph DeGroff was born on January 13, 1947 and passed on July 9, 2025. Gerald was born in Boise, Idaho to Pauline and Ralph DeGroff. Gerald was the eldest of four children. He was raised in Mountain Home, Idaho.

Gerald was married several times and had several children. His children include an adopted son, Guy Micheal, two daughters, Kaira and Liberty, and a son, Rocky. Gerald was not a stranger to heartbreak. He lost two children to Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Amanda Lial at just nine months old and Paul Shannon at 6 months old. Gerald would love those babies and put flowers on their graves until his health would no longer allow it. Gerald lost his father to suicide when Gerald was just nine years old and then Gerald lost his son, Rocky to suicide as well.

Gerald worked for Pensoil for many years. He retired early due to health reasons.

While Gerald was married several times, he finally found the love of his life when he met Donna Henriott Fry. Finding love later in life really is possible. After a whirlwind courtship of two weeks, they knew they didn't want to waste another minute and were married and that marriage lasted 27 years until his passing. Oh what a life they had together!

He loved to go camping and riding their razor in the mountains of Island Park, Idaho with their loved ones. Gerald loved to travel and visit family. Family was very important to Gerald.

When Gerald married Donna, she brought to the marriage one adopted daughter, Jennie and two sons, Wayne and Daniel. Gerald loved all his children and stepchildren with all his heart, and he was fearless in that love.

Gerald may have had a tough life at times, but his faith never wavered. Gerald was raised Catholic and was a devoted Christian. He had a strong faith and knew he would see all his loved ones again. In early 2025 Gerald and Donna both got Covid. While Donna got a mild case, Gerald was not so lucky and had to be hospitalized. When he finally got over Covid, it was found that it affected his brain and he spent the rest of his time on this earth in a memory care unit, Ashley manor in Chubbuck, Idaho. Gerald wanted to go to Ashley Manor because the name of one of his granddaughters is Ashley. Donna would visit him every day, faithfully, through snow and rain. Nothing could come between their love for each other. Gerald was over the moon happy that he got to see his daughters Kaira and Liberty before he passed. Kaira was able to come several times and while visiting him, took care of him with all her heart and soul. But as time went by, his body broke down and we knew his time was short on this earth.

Gerald and Donna were able to renew their vows with his hospice Pastor. His time spent in hospice was not an easy time and while we all will miss him, we are thankful that he is out of pain and with his loved ones that have gone before him.

Gerald is survived by his wife, Donna DeGroff; sister, Paula Hart; brothers, Robert Woodruff and Ronald Woodruff; daughters, Kaira and Rob Coda, and Liberty and Jeff Brown; stepson, Wayne and Diane Fry; and stepdaughter in law, Heidi Fry. He has 9 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and several step grandchildren and a couple great step grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his children, Amanda, Paul and Rocky, and stepson, Daniel Fry.

The family would like to thank the great staff at Ashley Manor Memory Care, as we could not have asked for a better care staff.

When words can’t fully express what we want to say, sometimes a small gift can. Visit our Memorial Store for personalised gifts, keepsake jewellery and to plant a memorial tree.

We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and analyse site traffic. 
See our <privacyLink>Privacy Policy</privacyLink>.

<firstParagraph>We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse how you use this website, store your preferences, and provide content and advertisements that are relevant to you. These cookies will only be stored on your browser with your prior consent.</firstParagraph><secondParagraph>You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies, but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience.</secondParagraph>

<firstParagraph>We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.</firstParagraph><secondParagraph>The cookies that are categorised as 'Necessary' are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionality of the site.</secondParagraph>

Advertising cookies are used to provide visitors with personalised adverts based on the pages you previously visited, and to analyse the effectiveness of ad campaigns.

Advertising

Analytics cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Analytics

Functional cookies help perform certain functions, such as sharing the website’s content on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

Functional

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

Necessary

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indicators of the website, which helps deliver a better user experience for visitors.

Performance

Customise Cookie Preferences

Verification Successful!

New Message

The following files could not be uploaded

Ways you can honour {memorialName}'s memory:

Donation Link

Upcoming Event

Featured Mementos

Welcome message

Select an item to highlight

Add a highlighted item

Customise which items you’d like to highlight on the memorial

Create Account

Become a Keeper

As a free {brandName} user, you will only be able to make 5 photos and videos public.

As a free {brandName} user, only the first five (5) Mementos are visible to page visitors. You can change which Mementos are public by dragging and dropping a photo or video into one of the first five positions. Upgrading to {brandName} Plus will make all 10 selected Mementos visible to the public.

All Mementos

This option is only available to Keeper Plus users.

To allow yourself and the wider community to view all images and videos, and to enable everyone to download their own copy of these mementos, upgrade your account to Keeper Plus.

This memento is not visible to visitors

Your community has posted {itemCount} more pictures and videos that honour {firstName}'s memory. To view them all, and to enable everyone to download their own copy of each, this account will need to upgrade to Keeper Plus.

View all images and videos with Keeper Plus

Our Obituary Assistant helps you craft a meaningful life story in minutes. Review and edit every detail, and unlock more features with Keeper Plus.

Obituary Assistant

Spend as much time as you need working on your Memorial page before it is visible to the public, and much more, when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Save Page as Draft

Create unlimited event pages and unlock a suite of powerful features to help you seamlessly coordinate event details, invitations, and more when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Event

Create a complete picture of your loved one’s community and add unlimited family and friends to Loved Ones when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Loved One

Create unlimited Memorials — and unlock unlimited images and videos, event pages, and advanced privacy settings — to help you keep memories alive when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Memorial Page

Add unlimited Stories to highlight all the things that made your loved one unique, from milestones, images, albums, documents, locations and much more.

Highlight Stories

Upgrading to Keeper Plus means you can add additional Keepers to help you gather Mementos and tributes, approve content, build a family tree, and tell {firstName}'s story on Keeper.

Invite Keepers with Keeper Plus

Upload and display unlimited photos and videos, use unlimited Story templates to highlight key moments, and allow friends and family to download their own copies when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Better Mementos with Keeper Plus

To access memorial-related configurations that control the display of the banner, upgrade to Keeper Plus.

This configuration is not available on your current plan

Create a meaningful link path to add a personal touch to {firstName}'s memorial.

Custom memorial link

Gift Messages

SENDING AS A GIFT?

Basket

About 1-800 Flowers

"Flowers were beautiful and they arrived in time before the funeral. Thank you and I will purchase more in the future.!"

Tears of Joy

"Beautiful flowers. I’ve always enjoyed sending them to my loved ones as a sympathy gesture, and they have always loved them very much. Thanks for helping people feel good when receiving them."

Condolences

"This was true to the photo, and it was good to know the family took the arrangement after the service."

Beautiful arrangement. Perfect size for the service.

Some of the wonderful things our customers say about us

We’re here to make it a little easier, with thoughtful gifts for the service and home, along with expert advice on how to be there during a difficult time.

Flowers

Gift Hampers

Express Your Deepest Sympathy

About Us

Perfect Sympathy Gift

No one is meant to grieve alone

Peace and love

Product is made, packaged, and sent with love

Keepsakes

How to add your gift message

Packaging Information

Shipping information

Add a Personalised Charm to the Ornament:

Other Keepsakes

Install KeeperQR onto any headstone, urn, or other memorial in minutes.

Install

Use your phone or tablet to scan the unique code — no other tools required!

Scan

All three of our elegant KeeperQR designs are printed on durable, weather-resistant aluminium, designed for indoor and outdoor use on headstones and urns, memorial benches and trees, or other monuments to your loved one’s life.

Built to Last

Get <discount>50% off</discount> Keeper Plus with your KeeperQR purchase

Keeper Basic

Learn About Our Plans

Connect the physical and digital worlds to share your loved one’s life story with friends and family, no matter where they are.

KeeperQR Memorial QR Code Plaques

Planting a memorial tree or bereavement tree is a unique, environmentally conscious way to pay tribute and honour the memory of your loved one. Keeper Memorials is supporting American Forests to plant whitebark pine trees as well as thornscrub trees in select regions of the US and Canada.

Memorial Trees

KeeperQR is designed to pair seamlessly with a Keeper digital memorial. Use our FREE, intuitive tools to create biographies, maps, and timelines, share photos and videos, and more, with customisable features built to commemorate your loved one’s life story.

Powered by Keeper

Lifetime access with no hidden costs or subscription traps

One-off payment

Keeper is SOC 2 compliant, keeping your memories safe and secure.

Data protection guaranteed

We deliver your QR Codes to any corner of the world

Worldwide Delivery

Our durable and beautiful QR code plaques create a seamless connection between your loved one’s physical memorial and their digital memorial, allowing visitors to their final resting place instant access to their life legacy.

Memorial.

Honour their memory, share their story

A KeeperQR is a weather-resistant plaque with a custom QR code that links directly to your loved one’s digital memorial. When placed on a headstone, urn, bench, or tree, it allows friends and family to scan and view their life story instantly.

What is a KeeperQR?

They’re made to withstand the elements outdoors and adhere to most surfaces.

Where can I place the KeeperQR?

How does it work?

Frequently asked questions

KeeperQR

E-Certificate Design

Plant Memorial Trees as a Living Tribute

BRAZIL

Canada

FLORIDA

OREGON

Memorial Project Reach

Memorial trees start at {price} per tree, with discounts for multiple trees

Our Commitment

Gift Hampers & Food

Keeper Plus

QR Plaques

Keeper’s Featured Products

A Greener Way to Remember

Learn about our partners:

Help Us Complete Your Order

Remembrance Store

Using your unique link, your client can sign up for Keeper and create a Memorial for a loved one. Once the Memorial page is completed by the family, it will appear on your microsite and website. You will be the primary Keeper Administrator of the Memorial, along with the family member who created the page.

Invite Your Clients to Create a Memorial

Invite Families

Your Email Notifications

Notifications

Email Unsubscribe Settings

Other settings

With your active Keeper PLUS subscription, you get unlimited access to a suite of powerful features:

Allow visitors to download a local copy of all photos and videos.

Download Media

Create a custom and meaningful URL, unique to your loved one, for each Memorial page.

Editable URL

Plan public or private events and invite your loved ones.

Event Pages

Add images and create profile pages to illustrate the history and genealogy of your loved one.

Family Tree

Invite unlimited administrators to help you manage every Memorial page you have.

Keeper Administrators

Visitors enjoy unrestricted access to all uploaded images and videos.

Unlimited Media

Create unlimited Memorial pages for your loved ones.

Memorial Pages

You will be able to upload Full HD videos instead of embedded links.

Video Uploading

Your Profile

Add a business user

Edit a business user

Are you sure you want to delete these users from these brands? You will need to manually add these users again.

If the user is part of multiple brands, you will have to delete the user from each one individually.

Delete Users from Brands?

User Settings & Notifications

Users

Are you sure you want to delete these users? This action will revoke their privileges across all brands.

Are you sure you want to delete this user? This action will revoke their privileges across all brands.

Delete Users from all Brands?

Delete User from Brand?

Are you sure you want to delete {totalDeletes} from this user?

Delete Roles from this User?

Are you sure you want to delete this user from this brand? You will need to manually add this user again.

Delete User from this Brand?

Requires users to confirm their email every time they would like to share a tribute on a Memorial page.

When Email Tribute Validation is turned OFF, guest users do not need to confirm their email address before their tribute is published.

When Email Tribute Validation is turned ON, Guest users will need to confirm their email address before their tribute is published. They will receive an email with a confirmation link they must click.

Requires users to confirm their email only the first time they would like to share a tribute on a Memorial page.

Email Tribute Validation

If Reported Content is turned OFF, content that has been reported will remain public until it has been Approved or Removed from the Requests Centre.

If Reported Content is turned ON, content that has been reported will be hidden until it has been Approved or Removed from the Requests Centre.

Hide Reported Content

Language

Your email notifications

Email notifications

Are you sure you want to delete the memorial for {name}? This action will permanently remove the memorial from the system.

Delete memorial?

When Memorial Request Moderation is turned OFF, memorials will be published automatically.

When Memorial Request Moderation is turned ON, memorials will only be published if and when you approve them. Memorials can be published or deleted in the Requests centre.

Memorial Request Moderation

Using your unique link, your client can sign up for Keeper and create a Memorial for a loved one. Once the Memorial page has been completed by the family, it will appear on your microsite and website. You will be the main Keeper Administrator of the Memorial, along with the family member who created the page.

Moderation settings

This will permanently delete your account. The business account and business page will not be deleted. To deactivate your account, another admin user must be assigned to your organisation.

Are you sure you want to deactivate this account?

When Override Tribute Moderation is turned OFF, the tribute moderation settings on Memorial pages will be hidden, and other Keepers cannot override the tribute moderation settings specified by your organisation.

When Override Tribute Moderation is turned ON, other Keepers can view and change the tribute moderation settings of the Memorial pages they manage. (Each Memorial page will default to the organisation’s tribute moderation setting upon creation.)

Override Tribute Moderation

If AI Content Moderation is OFF, text areas containing profane language will be published. Tributes can, however, be reported and removed at any time.

If AI Content Moderation is ON, text areas containing profane language will not be published and the user will receive an error message.

AI Content Moderation

When Tribute Moderation is turned OFF, tributes will be published automatically. Once published, users can report inappropriate or spam content. You can delete immediately any tributes published on a Memorial that you administer.

When Tribute Moderation is turned ON, tributes will only be published if and when you approve them. Tributes can be approved or rejected in the Requests centre.

Gerald DeGroff Obituary | Simply Cremations by Wilks