In the early '40s, Jerry Burrow was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. "We were definitely in the poor section of town. Our house did have running water, but no indoor bathroom." But thanks to family friends, their life was about to change. "They said there are lots of jobs out here. And so, we packed up the '49 Buick and a trailer, and we headed to California." "My lifestyle changed quite a bit. We bought the typical tract house with showers, a kitchen, and my own bedroom. A lot more modern."
Throughout Jerry’s schooling, he took all the hands-on classes he could, like auto shop, metal work, and drafting. "I liked mechanical stuff." But after graduating from high school, the only job he could find, which he hated, led him to decide to join the Air Force. "I went down and took the test. And sure enough, would you believe it? I scored high in mechanics." "One of the things that I realized when I was in the Air Force was how blessed I was to have that job." "I loved the flight line environment, and I wanted to be associated with aircraft and particularly aircraft maintenance."
After leaving the Air Force and getting his A&P license, Jerry got a job as an instructor with Texas International Airlines, which later acquired Continental Airlines. In 2002, after a successful 42-year career, Jerry decided to retire. But retiring didn’t mean being idle. Jerry had several part-time jobs, including working for a moving company where he loaded and drove moving trucks all over the US, worked in a thrift store, and was even a greeter and hearse driver for a funeral home. Hobbies have also kept him busy, including fishing and golf. But the hobby that keeps Jerry occupied is woodworking in his workshop, where he loves repairing and refinishing furniture.
How does it feel to be 72?
Why did you retire or why are you still working?
Why did you retire?
Why are you still working?
It was time. I had enjoyed it, and all of a sudden, I just went, ‘I'm doing the same thing.’ I mean, I've got a bigger staff, and I was a Director, and had to go to a lot more meetings. The routine of just doing the same thing, dealing with the people that a lot of times, I didn't particularly want to deal with, and I thought it'd be really nice just to not do this anymore. I was 61 years old, and we were financially fit. So my wife and I said, ‘Let’s go ahead and do the retirement.’ There wasn’t anything coming up that I knew of that I didn't want to be involved in. I was just doing the same stuff that I've been doing for several years, and I didn't want to do it anymore. It was just the right time. If I had retired the day before, I would have regretted it. If I'd retired the day after I would have regretted it. It was the perfect day for me to walk out. I never looked back. So, it was a pretty clean break.
What do you look forward to?
What is your biggest concern?
Life expectancy 2023
