State Senator Jerry Relph from St. Cloud has died of complications from COVID-19.
His wife, Pegi Broker-Relph, released the following statement:
“I'm heartbroken to share that my husband, Jerry Relph, has passed away and entered his heavenly home. Jerry was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He was a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, an attorney, small businessman, and dedicated public servant in the Minnesota Senate.
“Jerry dedicated his life to service and representing Senate District 14 was one of the highest honors he had.I can’t count the number of times he would come home at night and tell me about helping solve a constituent’s problem, or a story he heard from someone in a parade or at a public event, or even just someone he met during a ‘day on the hill’ event. He loved serving the people of St. Cloud in the Senate, and he cherished every minute of it. Jerry loved diving into the issues, finding compromise, and working together to solve problems and I have no doubt he would have continued solving problems outside the legislature.
“I'd like to thank everyone at the legislature for the relationships and sense of family you provided for us over the last four years. I am profoundly grateful for all the love and support our family has received. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Relph was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2016.
The 76-year-old had recently lost his bid for a second term to Democrat Aric Putnam.
