Crook County friend remembers Lynn Lundquist

The sudden passing of former Oregon House Speaker Lynn Lundquist was a shock to many. For one of his friends and former colleagues, it’s his passion he will miss the most.

“Lynn sort of lived the renaissance life. He was a politician. He was a farmer. He was a government official. He was a business man. I mean he did it all,” former Crook County Judge Scott Cooper said Wednesday. “In this age when we’re all becoming specialists, he was maybe the last generalist.”

Cooper worked in many positions with Lundquist over the years, and was shocked like many Tuesday to learn of the loss of his friend.

“Lynn was at my board meeting the night before. He was vibrant — he was healthy,” Cooper said.

Lundquist was elected to the Oregon House in 1994, and became speaker just two years later. After losing that seat and a later run for secretary of state, he moved on to become the first leader of the Oregon Business Association. Lundquist then served one term on the Crook County Court.

Cooper says throughout it all, it was Lundquist passion that stood out the most.

“There were two sides to Lynn,” Cooper said. “There was the feisty side. He always wanted to explore new ideas. The other side of Lynn that I don’t know that a lot of people knew about or saw was that Lynn had a really big heart.”

Leaving behind a wife Barbara of 42 years, eight children, many grandchildren and a legacy of passion and caring, Lundquist will be missed by many.