Jerry R. Lingenfelter

A celebration of life for Jerry Lingenfelter will be held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 10:00am at First Baptist Church, Claremore; burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery.  Friends may visit at the funeral home on Monday, May 8 from3pm-8pm, with family receiving visitors from 6pm-8pm. 

Kind father, beloved husband, and devoted son, Jerry Ralph Lingenfelter went to be with his Savior on May 2, 2023. He will be remembered for his loyalty, sense of humor, and love of music, which enriched the lives of friends and family members and shaped the lives of countless students.

Born September 29, 1935, in Claremore, Oklahoma, to Ralph Howard and Jessie Isabell (Webb) Lingenfelter, Jerry graduated from Claremore High School in 1954, then from the University of the Ozarks (Clarksville, Arkansas) in 1958 with a Bachelor of Music Education. While in college, he met Latricia Ann Voss, and the two were married May 30, 1959, in Clarksville. In 1967, he received an M.A. in Music Education from the University of Tulsa.

After teaching vocal and instrumental music in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, for three years, Jerry returned to Claremore, where he taught elementary, junior high, and high school music for 27 years. He came out of retirement to begin and lead the band program at Justice-Tiawah Public Schools for five years. Known for receiving superior ratings 18 consecutive years and remembering scores of students by name, he was proud that many of his students themselves became music educators.

In retirement, Jerry and Latricia enjoyed concerts, traveling, spending time with friends and pursuing his passion for WWII military history. They were active members of the First Baptist Church of Claremore for many years. In the fall of 2021, due to ill health, they moved to Tulsa’s Trinity Woods Retirement Community, where they treasured many new friends and membership at nearby Christ United Methodist Church. Jerry continued to practice and play his trumpet for events and other community gatherings at Trinity Woods until weeks before his death.

He is preceded in death by his mother and father and is survived by his wife of 63 years, Latricia; son and daughter-in-law Scott Lingenfelter and Sarah (Lyons) Lingenfelter of Grand Rapids, Michigan; daughter Ann Lingenfelter of Tulsa; brother Tom and Judy (Kirk) Lingenfelter of Owasso; sister Carol (Lingenfelter) Jones and Phillip Woollard of Tulsa; and nieces and nephews. 

Those who wish to honor Jerry's memory may contribute to either St. Jude Children's Cancer Research, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis , TN 38105, or Rogers County Historical Society, 121 North Chickasaw Avenue, Claremore, OK 74017.