LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Jerry Lee Brock, 68, of Lakewood, Colo., formerly of Gothenburg and Farnam, died June 13, 2006, in Denver. He was born Sept. 21, 1937, in Farnam to Everett K. & Ceora M. Earhart Brock.

He graduated from Gothenburg High School in 1956, and earned his business marketing degree in 1964, from the University of Denver.

Mr. Brock started his newspaper career Jan. 1, 1959, as a sales trainee at the North Platte Telegraph Bulletin, working for Jim Adkins, and the two forged what would become a long-time newspaper partnership and friendship that would bring both to Colorado. Mr. Brock returned to college in 1962, and spent that summer again working for Mr. Adkins at the Farmer Stockman newspaper in Cozad. After graduating he sold newspaper equipment in the western United States.

Mr. Brock purchased the weekly Parker Press in October 1972, and formed Douglas County Publishing Co. and was joined by Adkins in May 1973. They began the Douglas County Town and Country Squire, the Elbert County Squire and the Aurora Village Squire. In April 1976, they purchased the Douglas County News and the Elbert County News. On March 20, 1979, the newspapers were consolidated under a common name, the Douglas County News-Press and began publishing four days each week, subsequently moving to six days a week.

Mr. Brock and Mr. Adkins purchased the Eastern Colorado News in Strasburg, Colo., in July 1982, and also began the Greenwood Village Squire and the Southeast Suburban Village Squire, adding to their Arapahoe County newspapers. They operated the daily paper in Douglas County and maintained the weeklies in Elbert County until September 1986, when they sold Douglas County Publishing Co. to Westward Communications.

Mr. Brock purchased the Golden Transcript, serving as publisher and owner from 1984 to 1999. He owned the Gunnison Country Times from 1988 to 1995, and the Ft. Collins Triangle Review in 1992. In April 1993, the partnership sold the Eastern Colorado News. Mr. Brock was an active member of the Colorado Press Association in the 1970s through the 1990s.

He was the beloved patriarch of three generations.

Lively reunions with friends, family and former classmates were important to him, as was researching his genealogy and that of his native region. He loved politics, sports and travel and had a talent for instigating lively political debate.

Survivors include two sisters, Karen (Melvin) Whipple of Windsor, Colo. and Pam Brock of Gothenburg; two nephews, Jeff (LaDonna) Brock, and three sons, Ty, Dade and Dakin of Gothenburg, and Chris (Jeanna) Whipple of Johnstown, Colo.; and a niece, Kim (Todd) and son August Walker of Forest Hills, N.Y.

He was preceded in death by his father in 1949, and his mother 1985.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Blase Memorial Chapel of Gothenburg. A Colorado memorial service is tentatively scheduled for 9:30 a.m. June 29, at the Douglas County P.S. Miller Library East Room, Castle Rock.

Memorials are suggested to the Farnam Cemetery Association, Farnam, NE or to a journalism scholarship fund to be awarded at Gothenburg High School in Jerry Brock's name in care of Walter Kelly, Miller-Steiert, P.C., 1901 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton, CO 80120.

Blase Memorial Chapel in Gothenburg is in charge.

North Platte Telegraph, 17 June 2006