Gerald Allen Naese , 81, of Stockton, Ill. died Sunday, September 26 at the Freeport Hospice Unit of FHN.

He was born on August 26, 1940 in Manteno, Ill., to Floyd Naese and Cynthia Becker Naese.

Jerry, as he was known to his friends and family, was a lifelong farmer following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He and his wife, Violet (Hengl) raised their three children in Northwest Illinois, originally moving to Galena from Kankakee, Ill. and then to Freeport and ultimately to Stockton, where he had a dairy operation and retired after 45 years.

He is preceded in death by his parents, two sisters (Linda Naese and Faye Payne) and one brother (John Naese), and one daughter-in-law (Virginia Hill Naese).

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Violet Naese, and their children – Tom Naese (Karen) of Stockton, Bill Naese (Vionna) of Stockton and Susan Barreto (Sergio) of Urbana, IL.  He was a proud Grandpa to Ethan and Lucas Barreto. He is also survived by his siblings, Myrna Elton, Shirley White, Ray Naese (Pat), and Peggy Pedigo; his sister-in-law, Linda Naese; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Known for his many problem-solving inventions, Naese was well known in the area for his so called 'Piggyback' tractor that was an International Harvester 706 and Super M that he combined to have additional horsepower to farm the rugged hills of JoDaviess County. His '2 plus 2' was featured at length in April 1981 in the Freeport Journal Standard.

A funeral service will be held Thursday, September 30, 2021 at Calvary United Methodist Church in Stockton at 11:00 a.m. with a visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. Interment will take place at Ladies Union Cemetery in Stockton. A memorial fund has been established.