Jerry Don Avritt was born on 30 July 1942 in Marion County, Kentucky, USA. He was one of the three children of Thomas Lee Avritt (1914-1987) and Eva Marie Avritt née Goode (1917-1994). His siblings were Thomas Lee Avritt (1936-2006) and Barbara J. Avritt.
Between 1962 and 1966 he served in the United States Air Force working in their Strategic Air Command during the Vietnam War. He was hired by National Airlines in 1967 and then went with Pan American World Airways when the two airlines merged in 1980.
He married Judith K. Nibler and they had two children, Marcus and Angela.
The Clipper Crew website confirms that he died, aged 46 years, on 21 December 1988 whilst working as the Flight Engineer aboard Pan AM Flight 103 travelling from London (Heathrow) Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, when it exploded over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. His body was found, along with others, still strapped to his seat inside the nose section when it crashed in Tundergarth just outside of Lockerbie.
He is also commemorated in the Meditation Lawn at Westminster Memorial Park, 14801 Beach Boulevard, Westminster, Orange County, California, USA and on the memorial cairn in Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA, as well as on both the Memorial to all the Victims and the World Wings International plaque that are at Dryfesdale Cemetery, Dumfries Road, Lockerbie, DG11 1HZ.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
