Jerry Ernest Oxner

Jerry Oxner February 18, 1941- December 17, 2021

Jerry spent his formative years in Newberry, SC where he achieved the level of Eagle Scout. After high school Jerry joined the ROTC upon matriculation at Clemson University and completed Basic Training at Fort Benning, GA. Jerry spent the early days of the Viet Nam war in Giessen, West Germany peering behind the Iron Curtain for the US Army’s Counterintelligence Corps ultimately attaining the rank of Captain. Jerry served on Law Review in Law School at the University of South Carolina. Upon graduation he was hired as Clerk working on desegregation of Florida’s schools for the Honorable Charles R Clark of the U S District Court in Jacksonville, FL. After his appointment with the District Court, Jerry was hired by Florida’s Attorney General Robert Shevin and served as Assistant Attorney General ultimately becoming Chief Trial Council for the Civil Division for the State of Florida. After his tenure at the Florida State Capitol Jerry would enter private practice serving the Palm Beaches of Florida. He also taught paralegals, was awarded “Teacher of the Year” two out of three years and helped place paralegals in “real jobs.” A wordsmith of extraordinary intellect, Jerry could commune with people from all walks of life. He would treat a homeless person with as much dignity and respect as he would an aristocrat. A champion of the downtrodden, he would give one the shirt off his back even if it was his last shirt. As Counsellor he was an active civil rights advocate fighting segregation of schools and the gerrymandering of political districts. He also fought against big corporations in anti-Trust litigation and on behalf of the State of Florida to help protect its natural resources. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents Ernest and Frances (Boggs) Oxner and his brother Bobby. Surviving are his children Todd (Danielle), Sean (Siobhan), Amy Scott (Victor), and Matthew (Christine) as well as his wife Betty, and step daughters, Sheila and Melinda (Garry). He is also survived by his grandchildren Andrew Zeltner (Janea), Annie, Evan, Adam, Levi, Andrew Tetley, Georgia, Eliza, Christopher, Annie, Aubrey, Abigail, Sydney, Anthony , Chris; and great grandchildren, Alaina, Brayden, Jameson, Grace, and Callie Ann Adams.
A graveside service at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL, will be held on Tuesday, December 28, at 11:00 am. Arrangements are entrusted to Watson-Milton Funeral Home, Trenton, FL. 352-463-8888. www.WatsonMilton.com