Dr. Lynn Jermal, 59
Dr. Lynn Marie Jermal, age 59 of Hudson, passed away May 22 at her residence surrounded by her family.
Dr. Lynn Marie Jermal, age 59 of Hudson, passed away May 22 at her residence surrounded by her family.
Lynn was born Jan. 7, 1953, in Chicago, Ill., the daughter of Richard and Rita (Wiley) Jermal. She attended St. Juliana Elementary School and St. Scholastica High School in Chicago. After high school, Lynn attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana where she received a B.A. in art. She received an M.A. in interdisciplinary arts from Concordia College and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Lynn was a professor of art and art education at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls for 26 years. She was united in marriage to Kevin Caldwell on April 13, 2002, in the Newman Chapel at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
Lynn was a gifted studio artist who reveled in collaborative projects - there are many examples of her work with students and the greater community on the UWRF campus. She was an early and active artist member of the Women's Art Registry of Minnesota (WARM). She was especially interested in the creative process and had done much research into that throughout her academic career. It became the foundational centerpiece of the M.S.E. program she co-developed at UWRF. Her commitment to students was total and at times unrelenting. She would do everything she could to make sure students had every chance to complete their program. She graded her last student paper less than a week before her passing. She was a tireless traveler, having taught twice in the Wisconsin in Scotland program, created the cultural conservation internship program in Yunnan province in China, and in the fall of 2010, she was the faculty supervisor for the Study Abroad-Europe program, mentoring 20 students spread throughout Europe. She was very social and enjoyed entertaining and cooking for others. No occasion was too insignificant for lots and lots of food and a houseful of guests. Lynn also had a green thumb and enjoyed gardening, and was especially proud of her hostas and irises. Lynn was gregarious in her spirit, but her final days were full of serenity.
Lynn will remain in the hearts of her husband, Kevin; sons, Zero Selon of Los Angeles, Daniel Selon of Los Angeles, and Adam Selon of Washington; daughter-in-heart, Haiya Zhang of Washington D.C.; siblings, Richard (Jeanne) Jermal of Chicago and their family, Tom (Shannon) Jermal of Chicago, Beth (Dan) Flores, Kathy (fiancé, Andrew); Robert Jermal and his family, Rene, Christopher (fiancée, Abby Sturges); and also the many thousands of students she touched and inspired.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Rita Jermal.
A funeral service for Lynn will take place 1 p.m. Saturday, May 26, at United Methodist Church of River Falls. Visitation will only be 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 25, at the O'Connell Family Funeral Home, 520 S. 11th St., Hudson. Interment will take place at Willow River Cemetery in Hudson.
Funeral services have been entrusted to the O'Connell Family Funeral Home and Countryside Crematory, 715-386-3725, www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com.
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