Dr. Gerald R. Magneson

Obituary of Gerald R. Magneson Gerald R. Magneson, Ph.D., of St. Clair, Michigan, went home to the Lord on Nov. 11, 2016, after a long illness. He was 63. Jerry was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 3, 1953, to the late Elmer and Nina Magneson. Jerry was married to Kristin Baarson on July 26, 1975, in Port Huron, Michigan. A 1971 graduate of Port Huron High School, Jerry received his B.S. in biological science from Kalamazoo College in 1975 and his M.A. and Ph.D. in biochemistry from Purdue University in 1986. He completed his postdoctoral at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, in 1987. Jerry was an analytical biochemist and formulator, with more than 25 years of experience in research and development in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry. During his career, he worked at Instrumentation Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; Genzyme Corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Cardinal Health/Catalent in San Diego, California; GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. in Framingham, Massachusetts; and Neoprobe Corporation/Navidea Biopharmaceuticals in Dublin, Ohio. Jerry was the primary investigator and author of five U.S. patents. His last patent was awarded for the formulation of the radio-labeled, lyophilized nuclear imaging agent Lymphoseek, which is used in the surgical process to detect breast cancer, melanoma, head and neck cancer, and other applications. It was approved for manufacture and distribution by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union. Jerry finished his work on Lymphoseek after receiving his diagnosis of fronto-temporal dementia and was thankful that the Lord gave him enough time to do so. Jerry was a member of the P.H.H.S. tennis and cross country teams and loved to pay all racquet sports. He was also an avid spectator; loved the Boston Patriots, the Red Sox, and the Tigers; and loved to laugh. In 1971, Jerry and his brother Scott won the 18 and under doubles title in the Robinson Memorial Tennis Tournament, and 25 years later, his nephews, Darin and Kyle Magneson, won the same title. Jerry was a member of Boy Scout Troop 172, an Eagle Scout, and a member of the Order of the Arrow. Jerry is survived by his wife, Kristin Magneson, of St. Clair, Michigan; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Lee and Kay Magneson and Scott and Sandy Magneson; his sister and brother-in-law, Wendy and Louis Johannes; and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 415 N. Sixth Street, St. Clair, MI 48079, or the local Humane Society. Jerry and his wife, Kris, were very involved in adopting and rescuing American cocker spaniels over the years. A Funeral Mass for Jerry will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in St. Clair, preceded by an hour of visitation starting at 10:00 a.m. Interment in the columbarium at St. Mary’s cemetery will follow the Mass. Arrangements in care of, Jowett Funeral Home, Port Huron.

Dr. Gerald R. Magneson

May 3, 1953 - November 11, 2016