Jon Merle Ulm was born to Sylvester Franklin & Miriam E. Ulm on July 26, 1944, in Texarkana, Texas. He passed from this life peacefully at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the age of 73 on September 12, 2017.
Jon graduated from Miami High School in Miami, Oklahoma, in 1962. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Science in Arts from Pittsburg State University. He completed his education at Kansas State University with a PhD (ABD) in Adult and Occupational Education.
Jon served his country from 1970 to 1987 in the Oklahoma National Guard 45th Infantry and the U.S. Army Reserves 89th ARCOM. Jon retired as Sergeant Major E-9.
Jon was an avid artist using many types of media: ranging from glass, sculpture, paint, wood, to clay. He had a heart for molding not only media but in sculpting young minds. He taught in the public school system at the beginning of his career at his Alma Mater in Miami, Oklahoma. He then began his work in the higher education system where he helped to start the Art Department at Barton County Community College while also serving as Division Head of Fine Arts. He then traveled west to Liberal, Kansas, where he served as the Division Head of Humanities and taught art at Seward County Community College. Jon would later travel south into Oklahoma in the early ’90s to serve as Division Head of General Studies at Oklahoma State University-OKC. He completed his higher education career as a Visiting Professor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Continuing Jon’s pursuit of educating young minds, he returned to his roots in the public school arena at Oklahoma City Public Schools as an instructor. Jon retired after a strong service of 41 years in education.
Jon is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Tanda Ulm. He is also survived by his three daughters and seven grandchildren: Kayla (Scott) Rhoades, Lacy, and Kelcy of Arlington, Texas; Jonya Ulm of Ellinwood, Kansas, and Delaney Dusing of Wichita, Kansas; and Neely (Kevin) Goen, Charlie, Billy, Bayleigh, and Chris Blakeman of Wellston, Oklahoma. Jon is survived by three sisters: Rosemary (Carl) Mathis of PEI Canada, Janice (Rodney) Sayles of Hardy, Virginia, and Sally Thomas of Joplin, Missouri, as well as a long list of wonderful nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents and sister Carolyn (Jack) Phillips of Grove, Oklahoma.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Baggerley Funeral Home**
930 S. Broadway
Edmond, OK 73034
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Sept. 15, 2017
