Visitation: A Celebration of Life Visitation will be held Saturday, June 6, 1:00-3:00pm at Anderson Jones Corcoran Harrisburg Funeral Chapel.
Gerald George “Jerry” “JV” VanDenHul
March 28, 1964 — May 21, 2026
Gerald George VanDenHul, lovingly known as Jerry by his family and friends and as “JV” throughout his online and creative life, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on May 21, 2026, in Wichita, Kansas, at the age of 62.
Jerry was born on March 28, 1964, in Canton, South Dakota, to George and Janet VanDenHul.
Jerry’s love of country and military service was inspired in part by his father, George. He proudly served in the United States Air Force and the South Dakota Air National Guard as a jet engine technician.
Following his military career, Jerry built a respected professional life in aviation and aerospace engineering, with a specialty in hydraulics. He worked on multiple commercial, defense, and NASA programs throughout his career, ultimately retiring from Lockheed Martin as a Senior Staff Engineer and Subject Matter Expert in hydraulics.
Racing was one of Jerry’s lifelong passions. Over the years, he raced snowmobiles and participated in drag racing, sprint car racing, dwarf cars, and dirt track racing. He also had a deep love for NASCAR and the racing community.
Jerry poured his heart into building the JVThunderCat and Racin’ for a Livin’ vision, a creative world that brought together his love of racing, storytelling, music, and connection. He believed in the possibilities it held, not only for himself, but for the many friends, creators, racers, musicians, and family members he hoped to inspire and involve.
Music also became an important part of Jerry’s creative life. He spent countless hours writing lyrics, developing concepts, producing songs, and building musical storylines connected to the JVThunderCat world he envisioned. Songs such as When Eagles Fly, Rise of the ThunderCat, and many more that reflected pieces of his life, personality, dreams, struggles, and sense of identity.
Jerry’s life and stories were so full that his friend, author Marguerite Ashton, had begun writing a book about his life.
When Jerry became part of Theresa’s life, he also became a steady and important presence in the lives of her sons, whom he loved and supported as his own.
He is survived by his mother, Janet VanDenHul; his wife, Theresa Colleen VanDenHul; his daughter, Amie Jo VanDenHul; and his stepsons Terry Young II and his wife Erin, George Young and his wife Kate, and Steven Young and his wife Sammi.
Jerry was a proud grandfather to Christopher, Piper, Laney, Alex, Molly, Harper, Lennox, Danny, and Avery, and great-grandfather to Teagan and Annabelle.
He is also survived by his siblings Julie Ruud, Jeff VanDenHul, and Jill VanDenHul.
He was preceded in death by his father, George VanDenHul.
He will be remembered for his patriotism, creativity, love of racing and aviation, storytelling, music, humor, and the enormous love he carried for his family and friends.
A Celebration of Life Visitation will be held Saturday, June 6, 1:00-3:00pm at Anderson Jones Corcoran Harrisburg Funeral Chapel. Additional service details will be announced by the family.
“Racin’ for a Livin’ — It Ain’t Just a Sport, It’s a Way of Life.”
Forever loved. Forever remembered.
So sorry to hear of Jerry’s passing. I enjoyed catching up with him at George’s bus retirement party. We shared our love of NASCAR racing. My deepest condolences to his entire family.
God Bless you Janet on your loss
I remember Jerry very well. He was a spark plug, an appropriate metaphor! He contacted me several years ago, and it was such a joy to hear from him. My condolences to the entire family.
Jerry was a genuinely good guy, family friend, classmate and a part of why I joined the Air Force myself. We even crossed paths during Basic Training, where all the girls in my dorm wanted to know who that good looking guy was. Over the years, we’d occasionally run into each other when we were both back home in SD.
One winter, he took me for a ride on his snowmobile, and I had him in a death grip around his waist the entire time. If you ever rode with him, you know why. He joked afterward that I might’ve broken one of his ribs. I always thought when Jerry left this earth it would be trying to break the sound barrier on a snowmobile.
I’m glad Jerry found so many passions in his life. His was truly a life well-lived and his passing a loss to all who knew him.
My sincere condolences to Theresa and the entire VanDenHul family.
If you’re lucky, just once in a lifetime, you’ll come in contact with someone that will redirect your future to places you wouldn’t have otherwise known. Jerry was that person for me!
I came to know JV, in 2006 when the “Racin’ for a Livin’” Top 50 competition happened. I was chosen and competed in this venture for a chance that every racer wants. We all know the competition and we all know how successful it was for the time.
But 1 phone call from him changed everything! He explained what he wanted out of me and everything he said was NOT who I was at the time. Because of that 1st phone call, I decided that his words needed to have value in my life and I did things I didn’t know were possible. You see, a “self promotion” competition is not what I thought I was entering, but that is exactly what it was and I decided I’m going to make this man know he chose the right guy for his venture! We did some great radio interviews together and made it so entertaining that we often talked about those great times 20 years later! He was witty, and quick to respond with a great punchline that made the conversation even better!
I will forever miss our conversations!
I had the privilege of working with Jerry on several projects at Lockheed. He was very liked and respected by all of us who worked close to him. His laid back style, can-do attitude and exceptional technical background helped us achieve many important goals. He was a mentor to me, and I will never forget him, nor our daily 7AM calls. He taught me a lot about Engineering, and a lot more about life.
To his family and wife Theresa, my deep condolences.
Rest in Peace my friend, you Raced it for a Livin’
Theresa & Family, Jerry became part of our family on the SAOC program. He made numerous contributions both within the program and with the individuals on the team. We are all deeply saddened to hear of your loss.
I was fortunate to have been able to work with him and meet him out at the aircraft on a trip to Offutt AFB. On that visit, he said to me that being on the SAOC program with us carried him full circle and it meant everything to him.
We share in your loss.