Obituaries

Jerri L. Engelbrecht 65 of Panama City passed away on June 28, 2026. She was born on November 9, 1960.

Jerri attended Bellevue and Fort Thomas, Ky schools and graduated high school from Our Lady of Providence Academy, Newport, Ky in 1979.

She served in the Coast Guard for 5 years: 1979 - 1984 as a Yeoman where she received two medals: Good Conduct and Pistol Marksmanship. She served in the first district as a commander in Boston. She served as an administrative assistant during the Coast Guard's investigation of the ocean ranger accident in Canada in 1982. She also served a year in the reserves in Point Allerton in Massachusetts at the Search and Rescue station.

After leaving the military, she briefly moved to Florida where she fell in love with the beach and would return to Florida later in life to enjoy her retirement from Boeing. Before retirement, she was the key individual for the person in charge of the ISS within Boeing.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Barbara Roberts Withrow; father, Jackson Warner; stepfather, Donald “Red” Withrow; and her dachshund, Rudy.

Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Katlynn Engelbrecht (Zachary Akin); grandchildren, Leviathan Engelbrecht and Dahlia Akin; brother, Jay Warner (Kimberley); sister, Jane Reeves (David). She will also be remembered by her family in Kentucky and Georgia, her special friends locally and around the country and especially her dachshund, Cy.

Jerri was a compassionate individual, which could be seen in every relationship she maintained, from friends and coworkers to the foster child she assisted for a year, to her daughter Katlynn and her children Leviathan and Dahlia. She was an amazing cook, whose chocolate chip cookies remain unmatched, and her apple butter was known to bring a smile to your face. She loved to do projects around the house, whether it was involving antiquing, painting, or decorating her home in styles that belonged in magazines. She was most well known for her handmade cards that she would spend hours on before giving them to her friends, family, and coworkers.

A Memorial Service will be held with honors 2:00 pm on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at Heritage Funeral Home with Pastor Cory Gann. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to unfoldingword.org or a charity of your choice.

Jerri is a burning spirit as bright as the sun and will be deeply missed.

Heritage Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Jerri L. Engelbrecht.