Jerry Lynn Korn

Jerry Lynn Korn, 89, passed away April 30, 2024, in Bozeman, MT, surrounded by his loving family. Jerry was born November 17, 1934, to Orville and Freda (DeGeer) Korn in Alva, OK. He graduated from Alva High School in 1952 and attended Northwestern State University. He was listed in “Who’s Who Among Students,” was Student Body President, and graduated with honors in 1956. It was there he met his life-long love and companion, Bonnie Lou Quinlan. The summer between junior and senior year of college, Jerry was offered a job teaching music half time at Capron, Oklahoma. He attended his college classes in the mornings and taught in the afternoons. With the prospect of a whopping $2,000 a year salary, he proposed to Bonnie and their 68 year adventure began. Jerry later earned his M.Ed. in Music Education from the University of Arizona.

Jerry taught music for 37 years. He started in Capron, moved on to Moline, KS, then took the leap to Arizona where he started the first ever band at Hayden High School. Of the 150 band students, only one had ever played an instrument before. Then he taught band in Holbrook, AZ, for one year before being offered the band job in Flagstaff where he taught until his retirement. He also served as the Music Coordinator for the district for 13 years.

Jerry served as the President of the Flagstaff Education Association, Secretary-Treasurer of the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association and was honored as an Outstanding Music Teacher by the Arizona Music Educators Association. He played trombone with the Flagstaff Symphony for 26 years, was a member of the NAU Trombone and Choir Quartet and played in both the Flagstaff Community Band and the Green Valley Community Band. 

Jerry had many interests including river running, hiking, and travel. His summer job for many years was as a boatman on the Colorado River. He ran about 64 river trips through the Grand Canyon, along with taking on many other rivers, for a total of over 18,000 river miles. He loved the Grand Canyon and figured that he had spent the equivalent of 3 years hiking there. Later he hiked almost the entire length of the Arizona Trail and kayaked almost the entire length of the Yellowstone River. He and Bonnie loved to travel, spending the first two years of retirement traveling around the US in their trailer. They also explored many other places including Germany, Israel, Egypt, China, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Jerry had a servant’s heart and put his faith into action. He worked for many years with Habitat for Humanity starting with their very first build in Flagstaff. He and Bonnie worked on 22 NOMADS projects, and he did 57 mission trips ranging from local projects to Tanzania. Jerry and Bonnie also opened their home and their hearts to several foster children.

His faith was very important to Jerry. He was a life-long member of the Methodist Church and was one of the charter members of Trinity Heights United Methodist Church in Flagstaff. He sang in the choir and played trombone in many brass groups for church. He loved his Bible study group each week and began every day with devotions.

Jerry had four children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Family was the most important thing to him. One of his happiest moments was the summer of 2021 when every one of his descendants and their spouses attended a family reunion in Flagstaff. 

He was preceded in death by his parents and parents-in-law, brother Larry, sister Carole Canfield, sister-in-law Peggy Ancel, and brothers-in-law Roger Nobel and Gilbert Bruner. He is survived by his wife Bonnie, son Lynn (Luci), daughters Lisa (Rick Held), Jeanne (Jeff Rasch), and Nancy (Bill Connor), grandchildren Jeremy, Gabe, Shane, Colleen, Rory, Liam, Courtney and Keegan, great-grandchildren Quinlynn, Warrick, Eira, and Emery, sisters-in-law Pat Nobel and Rosie Bruner, and cherished friends too numerous to mention. 

A celebration of life will be held at Trinity Heights United Methodist Church on June 21, 2024, at 1:00 pm. A coffee hour will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in Jerry’s name to the Haven Walker Music Scholarship Fund, havenwalker.org.