Lynn M. Harris

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

Per Lynn’s wishes, his body has been cremated and a memorial service for Lynn will be held at a later date.

Family suggests memorial contributions to Lewy Body Dementia Association, www.lbda.org, or North Iowa Humane Society.

Lynn was born March 4, 1945, the son of Merl and Vida (Monson) Harris, in Forest City, Iowa.  He was united in marriage to Mary Lou Haberkamp, in Forest City, in 1967.  To this union two sons were born.

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

Lynn had many accomplishments during his professional career.  He served as Civilian Personnel Officer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, in St. Paul, Minn., where he was involved in cutting-edge changes to human resource management.

Lynn was handpicked by the Commanding General to serve as the principal organizational troubleshooter for the Israeli Airbase Program, a cornerstone of the Camp David Accords.  That project was considered 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.  He received the Army’s second highest civilian award for his work there.

Lynn retired as Colonel from the U.S. Air Force Reserve.  He had 10 years of command experience in security police and logistics units and as a base commander at the Twin Cities Air Force Base.

Lynn was Human Resources Director, Installation Management Agency, Northeast Region in Ft. Monroe, Va., where he played a lead role in bringing garrisons under a central financial and human resource system.

Lynn was a part of many professional activities during his career including: adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business, a member of the Board of Education in Minnesota’s fourth largest school district, two term president of Twin Cities Federal Personnel Association and was an experienced mediator and arbitrator on human resource issues.

Lynn enjoyed traveling, animals, 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, Minn. and David (Cobi) Harris, of Thousand Oaks, Calif.; a grandson, Gage Harris, of Thousand Oaks; a sister, Nancy Harris, of Pleasant Hill, Iowa; and a sister-in-law, Joan Haberkamp, of Davenport, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.