Jerry Cobb, a longtime Burnsville resident, Sun City retiree, and most recently a resident of Edina, Minnesota, who built his life on the strength of his hands and the steadiness of his work ethic, died Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the age of 86, following an accidental fall.

Born March 2, 1940, in St. Paul, Minnesota, he was the loving son of Lyle and Anna Cobb. He grew up in the only house his family ever called home, on Magnolia Avenue in St. Paul, and graduated from St. Paul Johnson High School with the class of 1957. To family and childhood friends, he was known as Butch.

Jerry spent his working years building things and running things. He spent twenty-five years as a manager at Porky’s, where he became a fixture of the place, and later put in fifteen years as a sheet metal fabricator at Dalsin’s before retiring. He was, by every account, a hard worker and a natural born leader, and those who knew him best describe him as brilliant, with a gentle spirit.

He and his wife, Mary (Kinney) Cobb, were married sixty-six years. Together they raised their four children in Burnsville, Minnesota, before retiring to Sun City, Arizona, where Jerry took up lawn bowling and spent his afternoons getting out into the sunshine, all while keeping up his lifelong love of watching sports. He loved animals, and there was nothing he enjoyed more than loading the dog into the golf cart for a slow ride around the neighborhood. He was a man who could find any excuse for a Menards or Home Depot run, who enjoyed restaurants of every kind, and who held a special place in his heart for the booth at Perkins. He loved nature, and he loved a good puzzle at the kitchen table. About a year and a half ago, Jerry and Mary returned to Minnesota and settled in Edina, closer to family. His family will miss working puzzles with him at the kitchen table, and they will always treasure the nights, back when the kids were small, when he would gather his children and the neighbor kids in their pajamas, pile everyone into the station wagon, and drive to Porky’s so he could check in on the drive-in. Those check-ins always ran a little longer than planned.

Music was one of his great loves. Jerry grew up with a player piano in the family home, and when his own children were small, he brought one into the house. The player piano became the heart of countless family memories. He loved to ballroom dance with Mary, and he played guitar and harmonica for his children, working through one Peter, Paul and Mary tune after another.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Lyle and Anna Cobb, and his two sisters, Connie Keough and Edith Durands.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-six years, Mary Kinney Cobb, of Edina, Minnesota; his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Marshall Borom, of Minnesota; his sons David Cobb of Minnesota, Christopher Cobb of Arizona, and Greg Cobb and his wife, Chris, of Arizona; his sister, Jennifer Vennemann; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

In keeping with Jerry’s wishes, no public service will be held.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Cremation Society of Minnesota.