Remembered by those closest to him as a man dedicated to his family and friends, an accomplished businessman, gifted athlete and devout Catholic, Vicksburg native and longtime resident John Allen “Jerry” Derivaux died Friday at the age of 79.

“I just remember him always being there for us,” said Ann Haden, one of the Derivaux’s seven children. “Whenever you felt like it was the end of the world, he was there for you. He took very, very good care of us children and our mother.”

Derivaux graduated in 1948 from St. Aloysius High School, where he was quarterback of the football team and played saxophone in the school band. Larry Franck, Derivaux’s boyhood neighbor and longtime friend, remembered him as a natural athlete who established an ethic of dedication and hard work early on in life.

“Jerry wouldn’t even drink a Coca-Cola because he was in training all year round. He used to run from home to school,” Franck said. “He was just incredible. A true and loyal friend and such a dear person. He was true to the bone.”

Derivaux’s dedication led him to join the United States Naval Reserve after high school, and he later graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1952 with a degree in finance. While at Notre Dame, he was a member of the track team and also competed as a lightweight boxer. He married Jane Cowan Wailes his graduating year, and the couple eventually returned to Vicksburg where Derivaux began a successful career as a State Farm Insurance agent.

“When he first began with State Farm in 1960, it was really an unknown insurance company — and now it’s the largest. He was very instrumental in that,” said Derivaux’s son, Preston, who followed in his father’s footsteps and operates a State Farm agency in Jackson. “He was never shy about working hard.”

Derivaux’s daughter, Diane Kemp, took over his agency in Vicksburg following his retirement in 2006 after 46 years in business. Ken Jones, Derivaux’s son-in-law, also has a State Farm agency in Jackson.

“He had put so much into his business, and he really wanted to see that legacy carried on — we’re all very proud to be doing that,” said Preston Derivaux. “He always used to tell us, ‘The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it,’ and, ‘If you’re going to do something, do it right or don’t do it,’ and that’s the way he ran his business.”

Ada Lauderdale, a State Farm agent in Vicksburg, first met Derivaux 40 years ago when she began working in the industry for her father, Raymond Ray. She recalled the awards Derivaux’s agency received through the years, including the Crystal Excellence Award.

“It’s the highest award you can receive from State Farm for quality of business over an extended period. He just had a very personal and caring approach to his work, and he was an absolutely fantastic businessman. I wish I could run my business the way he ran his,” she said.

Haden said Derivaux even had a horn installed in his car that sounded the State Farm jingle.

“He always used to hit that horn when we would pass Carr Central, and it got to be a running joke,” she said. “Everybody knew the horn. When they’d see that little black-and-white Metropolitan coming down the street, they’d holler, ‘Play the horn!’”

Following his retirement, Haden said, her father enjoyed golfing, gardening, playing practical jokes and watching Notre Dame football on Saturdays. On Sundays he could be found at St. Paul Catholic Church, where he was a lifelong member and was an usher and lector.

“He was very disciplined,” Haden said. “When we were kids he would take us to church on Sundays — to the early, early Mass — and he would stop afterwards to get Shipley’s donuts, but we couldn’t eat them until we got home and had a bowl of oatmeal first. It seemed like an eternity for us.

“Every Saturday, he would get us all up and say, ‘Today, we’re going to do this and this and this.’ He’d have a whole list full of things. He just took such good care of us, and he was so much fun.”

Derivaux is survived by his wife, seven children, 14 grandchildren and one brother. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Frank J. Fisher Funeral Home. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Paul Catholic Church with burial at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Vicksburg Catholic School.

*

Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com.