JERALD D. LINNELL Sr.

JERALD (JERRY, GERALD) D. LINNELL Jerald (Jerry, Gerald) D. Linnell, Sr., (82) beloved father of 4 and grandfather of 9, bonus father of 3 and grandfather of 7, and a longtime resident of Maryland and Washington, D.C., passed away peacefully at home with his wife, Jane, by his side on July 20, 2024, from complications due to Parkinson's. Growing up in Grand Marais, MN, Jerry often said he could not imagine anyone ever having a better childhood. He played football and basketball in high school, which led him to coaching these sports for many years in Maryland and DC. He was an avid Washington Redskins/Commanders and Nationals fan, and loved to discuss all sports and topics of the day - everyone was a friend to him! Jerry graduated from Grand Marais High School (1960) in Cook County and the Minnesota School of Business (1963) in Minneapolis, obtaining his court reporting degree before venturing east to Washington D.C. to work for Ward & Paul and later Salomon Brothers in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1982 he began his 32-year career with the U.S. Senate, transcribing the daily activities on the Senate floor. In 1999, he was promoted to be Chief of the Official Reporters of Debates. After 50 years in the court reporting field, Jerry retired in 2014. He learned at an early age to play the accordion from his father, and loved to play it whenever he had the chance, especially at the extended family music festival gatherings at Bonnie Featherstone's cabin on Pike Lake. He returned to Grand Marais on a regular basis throughout most of his life and loved seeing old friends and camping with his family in the BWCA. He was a loving, trusting, generous and supportive man who enjoyed playing golf, traveling on baseball trips with Brock and the guys, Chevrolet Corvette Stingrays, and always had a lot of fun wherever he went. Jerry was very active in the Linnell Family Association (LFA) where he served as chairman for 20 years. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents Verne and Dolly Linnell and sister LaVerne Sue Linnell. He is survived by his brothers, Norman and Jeff; four children: Laurie Linnell Benzing (Jeff Loveless); Jerald D. Linnell, Jr. (Debbie); Heather Spina (Brian); and Katie Breiner (Matt); plus 9 grandchildren: Colleen, Rachel, Leanne, Monica, JT (Jerald III), Oliver, Henry, Penny and Jack.; his ex-wife and children's mother, Patricia; his beloved wife, Jane, who took such good care of him these last few years; and Jane's children and grandchildren who he treated as his own. Jerry will be missed by all who knew him. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Lewbody.org, Speak Out, or Rock Steady Boxing. https://give.michaeljfox.org/give/421686/#!/donation/checkout https://www.lewybody.org/donation/ https://parkinsonvoiceproject.org/donate/ (this is Speak Out) https://www.rocksteadyboxing.org/donate/