Harris, Lynn Markay (1945-2015)

HARRIS, MONSON, HABERKAMP

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 11/16/2015 at 11:33:00

Lynn Markay Harris
March 4, 1945 - October 9, 2015

Lynn Markay Harris, 70, of Clear Lake, Iowa, died on Friday, October 9, 2015, at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City.

A son of Merl and Vida (Monson) Harris, Lynn was born on March 4, 1945, in Forest City. In 1967, he married Mary Lou Haberkamp, also in Forest City. To their union, two sons, Jonathan and David, were born.

After graduating from Forest City High School, Lynn attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids where he played football all four years. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he graduated Summa Cum Laude. In 1967, Lynn was commissioned in the AFROTC Program. He, subsequently, obtained two graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota: an MAIR and an MBA.

Lynn accomplished much during his professional career. As Civilian Personnel Officer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, in St. Paul, Minnesota, he participated in implementing cutting edge changes to human resource management.

Handpicked by the Commanding General, Lynn served as the principal organizational troubleshooter for the Israeli Airbase Program, a cornerstone of the Camp David Accords and a remarkable engineering achievement. Based in Tel Aviv, he played a key role in streamlining the organization and recruiting top-notch talent worldwide to work in Israel. For his work there, he received the Army’s second highest civilian award.

Lynn retired as Colonel from the U.S. Air Force Reserve with ten years of command experience in security police and logistics units and as a base commander at the Twin Cities Air Force Base. As Human Resources Director, Installation Management Agency, for the Northeast Region in Ft. Monroe, Virginia, he played a leading role in bringing garrisons under a central financial and human resource system. A part of many professional activities during his career included serving as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Business, as a member of the Board of Education in Minnesota’s fourth largest school district, as two term President of the Twin Cities Federal Personnel Association and as an experienced mediator and arbitrator on human resource issues.

Lynn enjoyed animals, traveling, reading, and watching his grandson grow. He, especially, loved spending time with his family.

Lynn is survived by his wife, Mary Harris, of Clear Lake; two sons, Jonathan (Mindy) Harris, of Shakopee, Minnesota, and David (Cobi) Harris, of Thousand Oaks, California; a grandson, Gage Harris, of Thousand Oaks, California; a sister, Nancy Harris, of Pleasant Hill, Iowa; and a sister-in-law, Joan Haberkamp, of Davenport.

He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents.

Per Lynn’s wishes, his body has been cremated and a memorial service will be held at a later date. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, www.lbda.org , or to the North Iowa Humane Society.

Copyright © 2015, Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, Iowa

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