I was asked to post this in the general fruit growing forum to assure that all forum members see it.
The man did great breeding work with persimmons and paw paws and shared everything he learned with extreme generosity to fruit growers all over the country, and likely the world.
He died at 81 from a tractor accident on his farm.
A great loss to us all, but, of course, especially those who knew and loved him, which is no small group. My condolences to those folks in particular.
Jerry will always be remembered through his legacy - best varieties of persimmon and pawpaw which we all enjoy so much. I’ve exchanged but a few e-mails with the man but have never met a person more honest and generous. Rest in peace Jerry.
What varieties of persimmon did he introduce to the fruit world? I’d be thrilled to grow some of them!
Didn’t know the man but he sure seemed to be a really cool person
Here are some: U-20A, 100-42, 100-43, 100-46, 100-47, WS8-10, there are few more…
Barbara’s Blush aka WS 8-10 is his best one.
Maria’s Joy (166-13), Lehman’s Delight ( 275-48), Jerry’s Big Girl (250-39) and VE-21 are his best pawpaws. They are constantly scoring high points in Ohio Pawpaw Festival. I am lucky to grow them all.
Add Benny’s Favorite to the list of award-winning pawpaw varieties of his.
Very sad news and a terrible loss to the pawpaw and persimmon communities.
How cool though, to be able to memorialize him by growing one or more of his cultivars.
He will definitely have living legacies planted all over the world. I feel honored to have one of his persimmons.
I spoke with him on the phone last year when i ordered persimmon scion. I have grafted and am growing several cultivars he sent me. I hoped to be able to share back with him how they performed out here in Arizona.
My grandad liked to joke if we slept in “Resurection morning and you just about missed it” well I do believe we will get raised up someday. Maybe I’ll be able to share it all with him then.
Rest in peace Jerry.
@Harbin -
Do you ever share cuttings across the Pond? I know that can be tricky. I am looking for scions of these varieties.
Thanks!
(I guess i’m too new to be able to Message you directly?)
The program set up that way because we do not want people to just sign up for membership and ask for scionwood and disappear ( it has happened.
We usually encourage people to post, ask questions (if they have no experience growing fruit trees), make contribution to the forum in some way before asking for scionwood.
You may be aware that exchanging scionwood overseas carries a risk of bringing in and out new diseases and/or pests. Most don’t do it. A few do.
You can also post for scionwood in the Scion Exchange category.
I totally understand. No prob. 
I didn’t see a scion exchange category - may’ve overlooked or I don’t have access yet.
Thank you!
How true, I may send some young fella here scion of a particularly good nanking cherry seedling and he could turn it into a real improved variety. Some people write poetry or prose, others build stone statues, may some of us leave a legacy of fruit trees.
I would love to hear about how your trees are doing. I’m in the SE part of the state at 4,500’.
RIP Mr. Lehman
Jerry Lehman had so many unreleased cultivars and he was breeding up to spring of 2017 and I have most of the Pawpaw seed he Hybridized and most of his really good persimmons but it is just a drop in the bucket compared to what he really has
I was At the Viewing / Funeral of Jerry’s and I have to tell you I cried like a Baby as Jerry was a huge influencer on our operation and the Main Mentor in my life
Some of his cultivars of pawpaw that he released are VE-21 , Maria’s Joy , 250-30, 250-39 JBG, 275-48 Lehman’s Delight 275-56 Benny’s Favorite , 275-69 and 275-70 as well as the diploid’s he used in the hybridizing of Pawpaw
For Persimmon Celebrity U20A , Deer Candy , Deer Magnet , Lehman’s Delight , Barbara’s Blush and so many other numbered selections and really we just have a small portion of them here as the Breeding work of James Claypool and Jerry Lehman’s work did over lap quit a bit
To include the Hybrid persimmons JT-02 , NB-21 , NB-02 NBT-06 and so on now many do not know it but Jerry was responsible for the release of Rosseyanka and Nikitskaya Bordovaya and well as the Hybrid Male that we use to further his breeding goals so there is a wealth of information that he would pass on and well at his age he was still very bright and able to work a full days work and still have fun at it
He is greatly missed and will be for generations to come
Thank you very much for your post.
Do you know what will happen to Jerry’s farm/orchard? Will his wife and children carry on?
He is greatly missed now, but his life will be appreciated for generations to come.