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DDerry Family Archive
Your Grandfather

Jack C. Derry

4 May 1926 – 16 Jun 2011

Needs research
Kyle DerryWyn DerryJack C. Derry

Life

Jack C. Derry was born May 4, 1926, in St. Louis, Gratiot County, Michigan — the son of Ernest A. Derry and Hattie Estelle (Smith) Derry. He served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, then earned a degree from Central Michigan University. On June 17, 1951, he married Beverly J. Hartle in Saginaw — bringing together the Derry and MacKinnon/Hartle family lines. He built a 32-year career with the Michigan State Treasury Department, retiring in 1988, and was later inducted into the Gratiot County Baseball Hall of Fame. He and Beverly lived in Shepherd, Isabella County, where he died on June 16, 2011, at age 85. Family tradition holds Irish roots on the Derry side — likely Ulster/County Derry, Ireland, fitting the massive 1880s emigration wave from that port to the Great Lakes states. Through his mother Hattie's Moomey line he also carries German ancestry — a remarkable echo of the Albaugh line on your mother's side.

Timeline

  1. 1926
    Born4 May 1926 — St. Louis, Gratiot County, Michigan
  2. 1926
    BuriedSalt River Cemetery area, Shepherd, MI (with Beverly)
  3. 1951
    MarriedBeverly J. Hartle — 17 Jun 1951, Saginaw, Michigan
  4. 2011
    Died16 June 2011 — Shepherd, Isabella County, Michigan

Claims in the record

4 May 1926 — St. Louis, Gratiot County, Michigan
16 June 2011 — Shepherd, Isabella County, Michigan
Beverly J. Hartle — 17 Jun 1951, Saginaw, Michigan
Ernest A. Derry (b. 1886)
Hattie Estelle (Smith) Derry (1889–1959)
U.S. Air Force — World War II veteran
Central Michigan University graduate
Michigan State Treasury Dept — retired 1988 after 32 years
Inducted into Gratiot County Baseball Hall of Fame
Wyn Derry (your father)
Salt River Cemetery area, Shepherd, MI (with Beverly)
Family tradition of Irish origin — likely Ulster/County Derry, Ireland

Research next

✅ CONFIRMED via Morning Sun obituary (Jun 17, 2011): Born 4 May 1926 St. Louis MI, died 16 Jun 2011 Shepherd MI; parents Ernest & Hattie (Smith) Derry; married Beverly Hartle 17 Jun 1951 Saginaw. Next: Search FamilySearch for Ernest Derry in 1900/1910/1920 Gratiot County census — the census will show Ernest's parents' birthplaces and may confirm an Irish origin. Ernest's Michigan death certificate is the single highest-value document to find.