Jerry Karnofski Obituary & Service Announcement

Teri Williams (66)

Diane M Anderson (Pruitt)

I remember Jerry Karnofski first as my sophmore history teacher at Edmonds High School.   I remember liking him as a teacher.  

At Meadowdale High he was alway freindly and greeted me with a smile.   Once during finals week many of us were trying to leave after testing and request were being denyed.   I had just gotten out of the hospital a few days before with pneumonia, when I went into the office to get a dismissal I remember him joking with me:

"If I don't let you go home and rest you proably won't be here tomorrow"  which was proably true.  He did let me leave.

  I always appreciated how he treated us as students.  In my adult year I got to know his wife and she was also a delight.   Such a wonderful couple.   He will be greatly missed.

Diane Pruitt 

Paul Tomlin

RIP, Mr. Karnofski.  "It's cool to care.

Jon Wright

With improving hindsight, I now realize how difficult it could have been for even a well-grounded guy like Mr K to keep us all in line. The (occasional) belligerence, self indulgence, and irresponsible actions he dealt with must have cost him at least a few hours of sleep. But he stayed the course because he obviously loved his "work", and if one loves what they do, it isn't really work. It's apparent that he loved the academic and coaching environment where he spent so many of his 98 years. It must be what kept him young. I would like to think that, in a way, all of us, and many more over the years, can take a little credit for his long, succesful, and healthy life...

Mike Buchmeier (Class Of '66)

I found Mr. Karnofsky to be the most reasonable of our administrative staff. He was friendly, always good for a smile and a good discussion, and seemed to understand the student mind better than the harder liners like John Garner and Harold Klose. He seemed truly interested in the student.   That's the lasting impression that I have of Mr. K. How wonderful it is to see him working out at 96. 

Andrew Husak

So sad to hear of Jerry Karnofsky's passing. Andrew Husak here. I have many memories of Mr. Karnofsky from our school days. 

     First memory is when he suspended Jan Patronic and I on the first day of school for three days for throwing a sophomore in one of the little ponds. I remember Jan and I walking toward home feeling so privileged to be have to badge of honor to be the first ones to be kicked out of Meadowdale high. I remember a few of us playing a game of cat and mouse with Jerry. We would find these, what we thought were clever, places to hide and smoke cigarettes. We even got to the point where we would place sentries but Mr. K would bust us at some point anyway. I think he enjoyed the challenge. He never did much other than take our smokes and reprimand us for being not as clever as we thought we were. Another story in my experience with Mr. karnofsky happened after I got out of the Navy. I was under the misunderstanding that I didn't have the credits to graduate from high school. I had thought that I had been short at least one credit. So instead of inquiring I took a couple classes at Bellevue Community College. I sent those transcripts with a cover letter to Mr. K at Meadowdale High. About ten days later I get this neat little package with my diploma and a cover letter from Jerry telling me in so many words what a goofball I was and that I hadn't needed to get those couple credits as I did graduate with the class in '65. I thought at the time that I was to cool for school anyway and just was not as engaged at the time as I should have been. 

      It was great to see Mr. Karnofsky at a couple of the reunions. Jerry was a good man and a dedicated professional doing a good job at what he did. He set a good example and guided so many of us through his time at Meadowdale and other schools in our district. 

     Rest well in peace good sir...Andrew Husak

Jim MacDonald

I remember only one interaction with Mr. K and that was in my senior year when Gordy Rudolph and I decided to leave school early and go steelhead fishing.  As we were leaving the parking lot we saw Mr. K standing at an East entrance door, we knew we were busted but off we went for an afternoon of fishing.  The next day we were both summoned to his office where he proceeded to chew us out pretty good for being a couple knuckleheads, told us not to do that again and then asked us where on the river we fished and if we caught anything, of course we hadn't had a bite.   He was a good man and as many here have mentioned, we could use more Mr K's in our school system today.  

Jerry Silvers

RIP, Mr Karnofski. You made all of us at Meadowdale better citizens, who cared about each other.

Chris Thompson

There have been some great comments regarding Mr. K. they are all accurate. I was one of the knot heads that Mr. K had to deal with. I found him to be fair, firm and treated  students with respect. I have longstanding admiration for Mr. K. I was fortunate to do my student teaching at Lynnwood High School, Mr. K was the principal. and he was a good one. He had an end of the year faculty party at his house, and I did something that could have been a career ender, before I even had a career.  Years later i would have a vice Principal who  worked for Mr. Karnofsky, when she found out that I was the culprit she about died laughing and said the faculty was still relating the story. Mr K was great regarding the incident and even gave me a good recomendation. He was a mentor, a respected man I admired. While looking for a teaching job, I was eagerly waiting for word from Redman High in Oregon, the principal informed me that I had the job . but ould not gove me a contract yet, as they were dealing wiith a double levey failure and a teacher strike. I was sent a contract from Ridgefield. I called Mr. K to get some direction (I really wanted the Redmond job, it was perfect). Mr K  told me that a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush. I took lhe Ridgefield job and enjoyed a wonderfull career as a teacher, football coach, Vice Principal and Principal. I modeled much of my approach after Mr. K. 

After twenty some years at Ridgefield I yearned for a new challenge, I took a job at Castle Rock, where I applied  my philosophy to a negative environment. Low and behold my Vice Principal was the nephew of Mr. K. This enabled me to keep aprised of his life in retirement, My French wife and I sat next to Mr K at a reunion, he leaned into her and told her that "we were worried " about him. Not to worry Mr. K I had excellent role models at Meadowdale High.

Mr. Karnofsky was a very good athlete in Longview, a good runmning back. As prince[al he would go to the gym at night and shho baskets, He was a stud.

Jan Lindstrom (Kelliher)

I'm so saddened to hear of his passing..and I, also have fond memories of Mr. Karnofski.... one of which is...when Dr. Klose suspended me for 3 days, for skipping school with 2 classmates, and getting caught roaming around Nathan Hale H.S., the very next day Mr. Karnofski called my mother and told her to send me back to school, because it wouldn't do me any good to just sit home, relaxing, watching tv! So back to school I went. Ever after that, he always made a point of chuckling and saying hello with a big grin, whenever he saw me in the Halls. I also recall seeing him laughing with, interacting with other students, every time he was in the hallways... he was such a kind, happy,  personable guy! He & Mr. Rudy Kovacevich were my two very favorite adults at  Meadowdale, and I was happy to have seen them both at our 50th reunion... ! It certainly does hit hard, when people you thought of as ”bigger than life”, either from way back when, or someone you see now, leave this life. He will certainly be remembered, & thought about, and my condolences go out to his family... 💜 Jan