🎙️ Living a Life Decided: Jerry Harkness – From Retirement to Purposeful Service
In this episode of Living a Life Decided, we sit down with a man who proves that retirement isn’t the end—it’s a new beginning. Meet Jerry Harkness from Peoria Illinois, a retired Caterpillar Inc. professional who, instead of slowing down, chose to step up.
After decades of hard work, Jerry found himself in a maintenance role at a retirement home. But something stirred in him—a desire for more clarity, more purpose, and more impact. That’s when he joined I’ve Decided in February 2023, seeking what we provide in “all the pieces of the puzzle.”
Learn more at www.ivedecided.org
With his wife Jeannine by his side, Jerry made a bold decision: to retire—again—in December 2023. But this time, it wasn’t about stepping away. It was about stepping into something greater. Together, they launched Happy 2 Help, a business built on compassion and community. Their mission? To serve and support individuals in their area, offering practical help and heartfelt connection.
Jerry’s story is a powerful reminder that living a life decided means choosing purpose over passivity, and service over stagnation. He didn’t just retire—he re-fired his passion to make a difference.
📞 Want to connect with Jerry or see how Happy 2 Help can support you or someone you love? Reach out at 309-922-9630. Let him know you found his number from the podcast.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com