GRAFTON, ND – A community continues to grieve after a well-known and well-respected man.
Officials with the Cass County, Minnesota, Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 41-year-old Jon Koehmstedt, who was Grafton Public Schools’ Activities Director and the high school assistant principal at the time of his death, was the man who drowned in Cass Lake on Saturday after exiting a pontoon to work on a boat motor problem and didn’t resurface. He was located around two hours later and recovered.
Grafton Public Schools Superintendent Darren Albrecht issued a statement Tuesday calling Koehmstedt ‘a devoted father and dedicated member of our Spoiler Community.’
“His quick wit, big heart, love for his children, and commitment to students and staff was evident to all who knew him. He will be greatly missed,” Albrecht said in the statement. “I know this news is difficult to process. Our school team is grieving alongside many of you, and we recognize how deeply this loss will be felt throughout our school and community.”
Thompson Public Schools Athletic Brady Schwab paid tribute to Koehmstedt in a post on X.
“Sending prayers to Jon’s family, the Grafton school and community,” he wrote. “Jon was a friend and a Spoiler through and through.”
Alex Droske, who graduated with Koehmstedt from Grafton High School in 2003, said Koehmstedt ‘was a Spoiler to the core.’
“If anyone ever bled maroon and gold, it was Jon,” he said in a statement to Flag Family News. “I grew up playing basketball and later football with him. He was competitive both on the court and on the field, always motivating his teammates.”
Droske, who is a law enforcement officer, described his first moments seeing Koehmstedt as an educator – when Droske first returned to his home town as a member of the Grafton Police Department.
“When I began my career as a police officer in Grafton, seeing Jon teaching in the schools—and later becoming the athletic director and assistant principal—felt like the perfect fit, given his deep passion for the school and Spoiler Nation,” he said. “His passing will be felt for years to come.”
Fellow teachers are also posting tributes to Koehmstedt, who began his teaching career as a social studies teacher at Grafton’s middle school before taking a job as principal at Midway Public Schools and then returning to Grafton in 2018.
Stephanie Baldwin, who taught English and was a junior high and high school instructional coach, posted a tribute on Facebook saying he was ‘not only an awesome coworker, but you were an amazing friend.’
“This is so tough for so many. Your reach was wide, your pride was contagious, and your heart was genuine. Thank you for always supporting ALL of our kids and treating them like your own,” she wrote. “We will return the favor and support yours. We are heartbroken, but I know your light will continue to shine on Spoiler Nation.”
Koehmstedt’s funeral will be held on Saturday afternoon at the Grafton High School gymnasium. The service will begin at 1 p.m., with visitation two hours before the service.
