Jerry Campbell Dumas, 75, of Spearfish, SD was born on May 3rd, 1940, in Terrell, TX. He went home to be with the Lord on July 31st, 2015 at the Fort Meade VA Medical Center.


Jerry grew up in Terrell and Dallas before moving to Memphis as a teenager. He attended East High School and then continued his education at the University of Mississippi. While there, Jerry participated in ROTC, becoming an officer in the Air Force Corps and pledged Sigma Nu Fraternity. In January of 1963 he was commissioned into the US Air Force and thereafter entered pilot school. After successful completion of fixed wing training he elected to go on into helicopter school. After that he was assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base. In 1966 Jerry received an assignment to Southeast Asia. It was a secret mission into Laos and Cambodia which was not acknowledged by the military and which prohibited him from carrying any ID on his person when he was flying. He returned to Ellsworth in early 1967 and met the love of his life at his "Promotion to Captain" party. Barbara and Jerry were married in November of 1967 and enjoyed more than 47 years of marriage. Two daughters, Dacia and Danielle, were born into their family.


Jerry left the Air Force and joined the FBI as a special agent in 1969. That did not prove to be as exciting as he had expected---especially when he was assigned to a squad whose duty was to hunt down draft dodgers. He then made the decision to serve in yet another government agency---the Foreign Service (U.S. Dept. of State). Jerry was still a secret agent at heart and he thoroughly enjoyed counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, visa and passport fraud and the protection of visiting dignitaries. His job entailed travel to 45 different countries and hobnobbing with the rich and famous----from interviewing Paul Newman to dining at a State Dinner in the Great Hall in China. In retirement Jerry served as a board member for First Capital Surety & Trust of Milwaukee.


His family members describe him as having an intellectual mind, being an avid reader and crossword puzzler, liking to joke around, and delighting in debate about world affairs and politics.
His hobbies included tennis, dancing, bridge and many kinds of cards and games with family and friends.


He is survived by his wife of over 47 years, Barbara Louise Reinert Dumas; daughters, Dacia Kacala of Bristow, Virginia and Danielle (Jason) Mead of Cheyenne, Wyoming; three grandchildren; brother, William Travis (Bonnie) Dumas Jr. of Mountain View, Arkansas; nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends. He was preceded in death by his mother and father.

Visitation will be from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, Thursday, August 27, 2015 at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel in Spearfish. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 AM Friday, August 28, 2015 Mountain View Baptist Church in Spearfish. Burial with military honors provided by the Spearfish Honor Guard and the US Air Force will take place at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, SD. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established to benefit the Fort Meade VA Hospice unit and Young Life of Spearfish.

Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com