Jerry Elijah Rushing obit

Jerry Elijah Rushing has died

 

 He was not on the list.

Jerry Elijah Rushing, 80, of Taylorsville, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, July 23, 2017 at his home.

He was born to the late Espie Elijah Rushing and Hazel Benton Rushing in Union County.

Jerry was an outdoorsman and liked to spend his time fishing, hunting, and trapping. He was owner of Chestnut Hunting Lodge. Jerry was the real ‘Duke of Hazzard’, creator of the Dukes of Hazzard, actor and stunt man. He was a Hall of Fame member of the North Carolina Bow Hunting Association along with being a Hall of Fame member of the North Carolina Trappers Association, and had a love for racing cars. He was a faithful member of Dover Baptist Church.

Rushing was born into a family business making illegal whiskey. As a young man he became a delivery driver, a job requiring late-night high-speed driving, often without headlights; for this he used a modified 1958 Chrysler 300D capable of 140 mph (225 km/h) speeds, easily more than most police vehicles, which he nicknamed Traveller, after Robert E. Lee's favorite horse Traveller. The car was eventually abandoned when it ran out of fuel during a chase, was sold from a police impound into the private collector's market, and has since been restored by Lawrence Wolfel. Rushing eventually turned to a career in early stock car racing. Among the drivers he raced were Junior Johnson, himself a former moonrunner, and Wendell Scott.

In the early 1970s, while doing research for an upcoming movie, producer Gy Waldron obtained an oral history from Rushing. Waldron would later use these interviews, along with his own experiences growing up in Kentucky, as material for the 1975 B-movie Moonrunners, which would go on to be reworked as the basis for the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985). Rushing was not credited for the biographical details he claims were recreated in both works, and sued for royalties, receiving an undisclosed settlement.

Rushing claims thirteen characters from the film or series were modeled on himself or people he knew, including:

    He was the inspiration for Bo Duke

    His Uncle Worley was the inspiration for Uncle Jesse

    His car Traveler was the inspiration for the General Lee (indeed, a car named Traveler is seen in Moonrunners, and the name for the General Lee in pre-production was also Traveler)

Rushing performed stunt work and appeared uncredited as Jake Rainey's bodyguard in Moonrunners. He also had a guest role in a very early episode of the Dukes series, as crooked used car salesman Ace Parker in the episode "Repo Men". Rushing had understood the performance to be the start of a recurring role, return in part for his supplying creative material from his experiences, but it was the only time the character was ever seen or mentioned. This appearance led to a career as a minor character actor, mainly playing rednecks, sheriffs, and truckers. With the release of the Dukes of Hazzard movie, Rushing had stepped up marketing for a self-produced documentary called Traveler.

Rushing owned and operated a wild boar hunting preserve near Taylorsville, North Carolina named Chestnut Hunting Lodge. He retired during the summer of 2013 and the lodge closed.[1] He died at his home on July 23, 2017.

 

In addition to his parents, Jerry was preceded in death by a brother, Johnny Rushing; and a granddaughter, Brandy Tarlton.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 59 years, Shelby Polk Rushing; a daughter, Darlene Tarlton; a sister, Phyllis Rushing Kiker of Monroe; and a great-grandson, Rowdy Tarlton.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 27, 2017, at Alexander Funeral Service, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held on Friday, July 28, 2017, at 2:00 p.m., in the Alexander Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. Phil Jolly officiating.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Alexander Funeral and Cremation Service.