By James E. Kerns

Tom Kerns, 86, a longtime Haines resident, died April 22, 1997, at Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande.

His graveside funeral will be at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Rock Creek Cemetery near Haines.  Pastor Sally Wiens of the Haines Methodist Church will officiate.

Mr. Kerns was born Sept. 20, 1910, on his parents' ranch near Parkman, Wyo.  His early schooling was accomplished by the local ranchers hiring a young schoolteacher who taught from three to five students in the one-room school at Slack, Wyo.

His parents were firm believers in education.  Consequently as educational needs increased, the family spent winters in Parkman and later in Spokane, Wash., in order for the children to be near schools.

He followed a brother to Oregon for his college education.  He graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in agricultural engineering.  While in college at Corvallis, he accompanied his roommate on a visit to his home in Eugene.  There he met his roommate's sister, Janet B. McCornack.  They were married Sept. 5, 1931.

After college, the young couple returned to the ranch in Wyoming.  The drought years of the 1930s, however, convinced them that a wetter climate would be preferable.  They returned to the Willamette Valley and purchased a farm near Lorane.

The extreme dampness and mold in Lorane caused Mr. Kerns to have bouts with asthma.  The family made another move to Haines, purchasing a farm in the Rock Creek area in 1939.  This area became one of the two great loves of Mr. Kerns' life.

His foremost love was his family.  He and his wife, Janet, celebrated 50 years of marriage in 1981.  They had five children.

He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; and five of his brothers and sisters, including his twin, Peggy.

Survivors include his sister, Katherine Harken of Billings, Mont.; daughters and sons-in-law, Jean and Tom Griffith of Belgrade, Mont., and Ellen and Philip Stevenson of Haines; sons and daughters-in-law, Tom Mac and Joyce Kerns, Tim and Jan Kerns and James and Marjorie Kerns, all of Haines; 20 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.