Jerome Michael Travers

Jerome “Jerry” Michael Travers, age 65, passed away peacefully at home in Watkinsville, GA, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, 21-months after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Jerry was born in Lynn, MA, and at age nine his family put down roots in Dunwoody, Georgia. Though his full life was cut short by this relentless disease, Jerry filled every day with optimism, service, and adventure. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, he was never happier than when his feet were on a trail or his hands were planting trees. In 2014, he and his daughter, Bennett, thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. He adopted the trailname “Buzz” while soaking in five months of mountains and life-long memories.

His love of nature and volunteering also found a strong home in Scouting. Inspired by his own childhood experience earning the Eagle Scout rank, Jerry started Troop 434 at All Saints Catholic Church in 1986 and served there as Scoutmaster for 26 years, guiding more than 300 boys through the rigor and joys of Scouting – 45 of whom he led to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, including his son Christopher. In 2010, Jerry was honored with the Boy Scouts of America’s Silver Beaver Award, the council’s highest distinction for distinguished service and exceptional character. He lived the Scout Oath and Law to his core, striving every day to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, brave and more, and he inspired everyone he met to do the same through his words and his actions.

Jerry’s spirit of service extended far beyond Scouting. As a leader of Bank of America’s My Environment employee network in Atlanta, he served on multiple nonprofit boards and organized conservation projects with groups such as Trees Atlanta, the Georgia Conservancy, Park Pride, and the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. He logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours, earning the bank’s 2016 Global Volunteer Award. He was always first in line to extend assistance to anyone in need; convinced colleagues to spend their Saturdays clearing invasive plants and trash; and spearheaded countless Red Cross blood drives, personally donating over 16 gallons throughout his life.

A proud Yellow Jacket, Jerry graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1983 with a degree in Industrial Engineering and remained active with his fraternity, Theta Chi. Professionally, he was, at heart, a problem-solver and a technologist, from his early days as a systems engineer at IBM to his years at Golden Code and, finally, to a successful two-decade career in problem management at Bank of America.

Yet nothing ever defined him more than family and faith. He married the love of his life, Karen Becht Travers, in November 1990, and together they raised three adventure-loving children. Early on, Jerry spent countless evenings and weekends coaching the kids' Little League teams, and he never stopped being their biggest fan as interests expanded beyond the ball field. Together, the family shared a love for nature, road races, cards, games, biking, Atlanta sports, and community. Jerry’s determination – and relentless optimism – once carried him through a marathon he decided to run without training, somehow still smiling the entire way.

Despite the increasingly difficult daily challenges of life with ALS, Jerry’s final years were fulfilling in quiet, meaningful ways. He embarked on a cross-country “Tour de Jerry,” visiting friends and family, and he and Karen moved from Atlanta to Watkinsville to live with their daughter Carson, son-in-law Williamson, and newborn granddaughter Mae, whose presence and daily smiles were an endless blessing.

Jerry is survived by his wife of 35 years, Karen; their children Bennett Travers Camarda (Bill) of Portsmouth, NH, Christopher Michael Travers of Atlanta, GA, and Carson Anne Gasaway (Williamson) of Watkinsville; his granddaughter Mae Gasaway; his brother Steve Travers (Lawson) of Chapel Hill, NC; his niece Hunter Travers Wright (Caleb) of New York City and his nephew Stephen Travers of Atlanta; as well as many beloved cousins, in-laws, friends, Scouts, coworkers, fellow thru-hikers, and volunteers who will forever carry his perspectives and morals forward. He was preceded in death by his parents Jerome Edward Travers and Elaine Miner Travers, who similarly died of ALS.

A memorial service will be held at All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody, Georgia on Thursday, June 12, at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Jerry’s memory to the ALS Therapy Development Institute (als.net) or to ALS United of Georgia (alsgeorgia.org).