Jerry Eugene Vandegrift, 86, passed away Saturday, November 12th, 2022, in Naples, Florida, surrounded by family and friends. Jerry was born July 7, 1936, to Leroy and Thelma (Glenn) Vandegrift in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leroy and Thelma Vandegrift, and his brothers, Jack and Leroy, Jr. Family left to cherish his memory are brother Bill and wife Nancy Vandegrift of Conroe, Texas; his children: son, Jev and wife Natalie Vandegrift of Norman, OK; daughter, Nina and husband Mark Shuman of Norman, OK, and daughter Kayci Vandegrift and partner Dusty Pankratz, of Shawnee, OK. Jerry has eight grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and other extended family and friends.
Jerry was young when he started working in his family’s business, Van’s Pig Stand, when he was only 9 years old. He would pester his dad to let him work at the fountain; he would make it until about 1am, but the store was open until 3am! By age 12, Jerry would help by car hopping, and then later he moved to dishwashing, “a less glamorous job than working the fountain.”
After graduating from Shawnee High School, Jerry attended OSU briefly, worked for the local ice plant as an ice delivery boy, and he even joined the military and went through basic training and served in the Army Reserves. However, his passion for people brought him back to the Pig Stand, and he began working full-time in the family business in 1959.
In 1972, Jerry expanded his interest in the restaurant business and began buying property and building Sonic Drive-Ins with his business partner Barry Seawright and others. After both of Jerry’s parents died in the early 1970’s, he bought his brothers out of the family business. In 1978, after a massive fire at Van’s Pig Stand, Jerry reopened the store with its original signage and changed the menu to mostly bar-b-que.
Jerry followed his father Leroy, mostly known as “Van,” by accepting the role of Board member to the Oklahoma Restaurant Association in 1969. Van was first recorded as board member of the ORA in 1937 and Jerry recalls him as serving as Chairman and having ORA meetings at their house. Jerry went on to serve as Chairman for the ORA in 1978. He remained active with the ORA for the remainder of his life. In 2009, he was awarded the Culinary Excellence Hall of Fame Award for fifty years of food service from the ORA.
Jerry met his first wife, Loretta Barrett, at Coffee Drug in Shawnee in 1955, and they were married from 1958-1963. He met his second wife, Kaye Sainer, at Van’s in 1970. They were married from 1972-1981 and had two children. Jerry was married a third time to Ginger Hardesty from 1981-1998, and during that time, he adopted his daughter Kayci.
In the summer of 1988, he and his family moved to Naples, Florida. After Jerry moved to Naples, he slowly began to work less and play more. He loved boating, and he made several trips to the Bahamas on his boat. He was an avid collector of guns, knives, flashlights, and binoculars and found much enjoyment in playing golf. He made numerous acquaintances on the golf course and at the local watering hole, many of whom became lifelong pals. He made friends easily, and he was fiercely loyal. Sometimes he seemed to have a gruff exterior, but he truly had a “heart of gold;” he was always willing to help someone in need with advice or even with a loan. According to Jerry’s lifelong friend, Jack Clemence, Jerry was a hard worker, he was generous, he was a risk taker but willing to stick things out through the ups and downs, he trusted but verified, and he was a teacher at heart and liked to see others do well.”
Jerry’s life with Florida friends was celebrated at 5:00pm, “Bar-thirty,” at his favorite bar in Naples, Florida, on November 15, 2022.
His children will host a come and go Life Celebration for family and friends in Shawnee, Oklahoma on Sunday November 27, 2022 at the original Van’s Pig Stand, 717 E. Highland, from 3:00-6:00pm.
“HOLD ON! I’VE GOT ANOTHER CALL COMING IN, I’LL TALK TO YOU LATER.”
– Jerry
