Jerry Lee Pillow
October 29, 1934 - August 29, 2020

Jerry Lee Pillow, 85, of Trumann Arkansas passed away on August 29th, 2020. He was born of humble beginnings in Paragould, Arkansas on October 29th, 1934 to his parents Odus Elbert Pillow and Gladys Marie (Mclain) Pillow. They later settled in Hancock, Arkansas where Jerry grew up farming with his family. Jerry often made reference to the back breaking work of picking or chopping cotton or gathering and running the geese down the rows of cotton to eat the unwanted grasses. Jerry graduated from Monette high school where he was a good student and excelled in and developed a lifelong love of the game of baseball and the Saint Louis Cardinals. Jerry was a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars serving honorably for 8 years and honing his craft in small arms repair and then later in electronics where he truly excelled. Upon leaving the army, Jerry enrolled at Memphis State University in the Electrical Engineering program. At this point, he was married with a child and worked full time at WKNO in Memphis while he attended classes. Jerry went on to graduate from Memphis State with a degree in Electrical Engineering. His work then took him all over the country and the world. He worked with one of the first cable companies in the country bringing cable television to homes all through the Bay Area in California and introduced this new station called HBO to the world. He worked with Boeing Aircraft Company retrofitting the Cruise Missile to be carried on the B52 Bomber, and with Bell Helicopter in building assembly plants overseas. During this time, he was introduced to the game of golf which became a lifelong passion. Jerry decided to leave the engineering field behind and move back to his roots in northeast Arkansas where he opened his first tavern in 1980. He started out with the Payneway Supper Club and then later purchased a small Tavern in Trumann, Arkansas that was simply called Jerrys Tavern. It was a place one could go to have a cold beverage and shoot a game of pool. As time went on Jerry would find himself getting hungry while working at the tavern and decided to purchase a Sears and Roebuck gas grill to place in the small chimney behind the bar. This would allow him to cook himself something to eat during the long hours at the tavern. It wasn’t long before the patrons at the tavern were asking Jerry if he would mind cooking them something to eat too as they smelled the aroma of the fresh hamburgers and steaks Jerry had cooked for himself. For the longest time Jerry would cook food and give it away, but quickly realized he was going to go broke if he did not start charging for the food he was cooking. This is how Jerrys Steak House was started on a Sears and Roebuck gas grill behind the bar of a Tavern in Trumann, Arkansas. He grew Jerry’s Steak House into one of the most popular dining establishments in northeast Arkansas over the next 20 years. He spent many hours behind the grill cranking out all sorts of grilled items for hungry patrons. Jerry also managed to make time for his favorite pastime of golf. He was a member of the Trumann Country Club and played nearly everyday of his life up to the age of 83 enjoying the fellowship with his many friends out at the club. Jerry was also an avid Blackjack player and was known to go to Tunica and spend 12 hours sitting at a Blackjack table playing the game he loved. Always frugal with his money, he kept a running tab on his wins and losses and managed to stay just ahead of the house. It never was about winning money for Jerry, it was about playing this game of skill that he was so fond of. Jerry Pillow was one of a kind. He was blessed with a sense of humor and wit that is something of legend. He was a giving and kind person always loyal to his friends and good to his family. He conquered an addiction to alcohol through Alcoholics Anonymous and went on to help many other individuals conquer addition as well. Jerry claimed quitting cigarettes was much harder than alcohol, but he managed to do both successfully. The world is a little less bright and a little less fun without him in it and he will be dearly missed. Jerry is survived by his son Tracy Pillow and his wife Kellie (Collier) Pillow of Marion Arkansas; his daughter Nelou Nazifi of Fair Oaks, California; his sister Charlene (Pillow) Little of Athens, Alabama; his brother Larry Pillow of Conway, Arkansas; a bunch of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by: His parents Odus and Gladys Pillow; and two brothers Wilburn and Tom Pillow. The family asks that you kindly make contributions to the American Cancer Society in Jerry’s name in lieu of flowers. Due to the Covid19 pandemic, the family has chosen not to gather at this time. We would like to acknowledge the many well wishes and prayers we have received as they were greatly appreciated.