Marquette County leaders remember Gerry Corkin

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - The Marquette County community is remembering a longtime public servant. Gerry Corkin died Thursday at the age of 82. For more than three decades, Corkin served Marquette County as Chair of the Board of Commissioners. He was first elected to the board in 1985.

Corkin was from Negaunee and represented District 4 which covers Ishpeming and Negaunee. Scott Erbisch is the county administrator. He says Corkin was always passionate about local government.

“He was a very considerate and thoughtful man as far as county government,” Erbisch said. “He wanted to make sure that we run a good organization and make sure that we’re able to treat our employees well. On top of all that, he was very compassionate about the employees here and county government as a whole.”

Corkin was a champion for the redevelopment of the K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base and the re-location of the county airport to K.I. Sawyer. In 2021, he was honored for his efforts with the naming of Gerry Corkin Drive at the airport.

Joe Boogren is the Forsyth Township Supervisor. He says Corkin accomplished a lot as a public servant.

“It takes a unique individual to do what he did, to serve his community as a teacher for so long and then as the chairman of the Marquette County Commission,” Boogren said. “In that time, he accomplished many, many things, and he was just a friend to everyone he knew and an advocate for every citizen of Marquette County.”

Funeral services will be held this Thursday, September 28, at Marquette Hope Methodist Church-Mitchell Campus in Negaunee. Erbisch says the Marquette County Board will discuss the next steps to fill Corkin’s vacancy on the board during its October 3 meeting.