Last of his kind
Longtime Porterville realtor Jerry Letsinger passes away at 85
A native son. Veteran. A consummate professional and working machine. The last of a dying breed. Mr. Real Estate.
These are all terms friends and family use to describe Gerald “Jerry” Letsinger, who passed away Friday, October 12th, at the age of 85.
For the last six decades, Letsinger was the driving force behind Letsinger Realty in Porterville, selling thousands of homes and developing a reputation for his unparalleled work ethic. He was a member of many service organizations and a pillar of the community over the years, but what drove him above all else was a passion and a talent for real estate.
“He just loved helping people buy and sell their homes. It just came naturally to him. When you think about the number of homes he’s been involved in selling and buying it’s probably as many homes as there are here in Porterville. In some cases he’s probably sold the same home three or four times,” said Letsinger’s colleague and son-in-law Rick Conway, who worked alongside him for 32 years. “He’s a real estate legend. How many people can work for 60 years and still do it as well as he did? It’s just amazing. There will never be another one like him.”
Jerry was so driven that dialysis treatment for the last eight years didn’t stop him from coming in to work every day. For the first seven of those years he drove himself to and from dialysis, still serving his buyers and sellers — before, after, and even during dialysis treatment.
“He would spend six days a week working, even three months ago,” said Conway. “Here we’re talking eight years of dialysis, and I think the normal person probably would have passed away six or seven years ago, but not Jerry. That truly was one of the big things about him was his work ethic.”
True to his never-quit attitude right to the end, Letsinger’s team recently ran an advertisement entitled ‘60 Years and Counting,’ in which Jerry is quoted as saying, “I have no intent at this moment to retire. I’ve been healthy and I think I’ve got pretty good genes.”
Later in the same ad, Jerry summed up the secret to success in his trade with a phrase that could just as easily be applied to him as a professional: “Service is the name of the business. Good, consistent service.”
“Jerry Letsinger was an automaton. There was no one who was more productive more consistently,” said former realtor and home inspector Hal Ellis, who collaborated many times with Jerry over the years. “To do what Jerry did as well as he did for that many years, I can’t even begin to think what that took. He was the epitome of what a real estate man should be.”
Jerry was born on February 16th, 1933 at the Miller House in Porterville — two doors away and about 120 feet from his office desk. He attended grammar
school in Terra Bella and graduated from Porterville High School in 1951, where he played football and ran track. He went on to attend Fresno State College, where he was in the ROTC program.
In 1953, Jerry married Anna Lee Monroe at the First Congregational Church on Mill Street in Porterville. After graduating college in 1955 with a teaching credential, he taught 6th grade until he joined the U.S. Air Force, where he finished first in his class in gunnery school in Arizona, and flew F-84F Thunderstreak Fighter-bombers.
In 1957, back in California, Jerry taught 6th grade at George Washington
Carver Elementary School in Fresno, continuing to serve in the Air Force Reserves. In 1958 he joined his brother Jack in the real estate business, which was the start of his long and prolific career.
From the mid 1960’sthrough the mid 1970’s, Jerry was very involved in supporting the school district, and was President of the Porterville Spirit Club. In 1973, Jerry received the PTA Life Service Award, he was President of the Porterville Exchange Club, an Elk’s Club member, and helped with Porterville College Boosters.
In 1979, Letsinger opened the new Letsinger Realty office at #1 W. Morton. He was the Orange Belt Board of Realtors (OBBR), Realtor of the Year in 1982, and
went on to be the OBBR President in 1984.
In 2003, the California Association of Realtors gave Jerry an Honorary Member for Life Award for years of distinguished service. In 2012, OBBR awarded him the OBBR Distinguished Service award. This last summer (2018), Jerry celebrated 60 years of being in business at Letsinger Realty.
Letsinger loved water skiing at Success Lake, spending time at Camp Nelson, Morro Bay, and Cambria, especially when he was with his family.
One of Conway’s favorite memories about his father-in-law was during a deep sea fishing trip out of Morro Bay, where Jerry exhibited the same tenacity and fortitude in a rare moment of free time as he did during his many hours selling homes.
“When you leave Morro Bay to go out into the open ocean it’s a rough transition. It scared the life out of me, but Jerry just had the biggest smile on his face. The man knew no fear,” said Conway.
Besides enjoying spending time with his grandchildren, he loved his dogs Bella, Daisy, Freckles, and all of his cats.
With his passing, the community loses a figure who worked tirelessly in all of his endeavors, a role model, and a man who genuinely cared about Porterville.
“He put his heart and soul into every thing he did. I think he set a good example for the young people,” said Jerry’s wife Anna.
“Except for his time up at Fresno State and his military time, this was where he’s lived his entire life,” added Conway. “He thought the world of Porterville. It wasn’t just home, it was everything to him.”
He was also a loving and attentive husband to Anna for the last 65 years.
“I always had to be careful for what I wished for, because if Jerry heard me, I would have it the next day,” added Anna. “I thought he was the greatest thing that ever was. Not many people can say this, but I wish I could go back and live my married life all over again.”
Jerry is survived by his wife of 65 years, Anna Letsinger, sister Claudia and brother-inlaw Clarence Williams, daughter Vicki and sonin-law Rick Conway, numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Visitation for Jerry Letsinger will be held Thursday, October 18, 2018 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Myers Chapel. A memorial service will be held Friday, October 19, 2018 at 11:00 AM at Myers Chapel, followed by a luncheon gathering at Myers Chapel reception hall. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice in honor of Jerry.
To sign the family guest book or send condolences please go to www.myersfuneral.com. Myers Funeral Services & Crematory in Porterville is in charge of arrangements.