Jere Bush Lykins

Jere Lykins, beloved father and community member and an exceptional human being, passed peacefully on August 31, 2021 at the age of 75.

Born in Tennessee to loving parents Maurice & Sara Lykins, Jere later lived in Tampa/St.Pete as well as Trenton, FL before settling in Rome, Georgia.

Jere loved music and art from an early age as well as creating schematics for building and inventing, and was talented at everything he tried. In high school he was an exchange student to Escuela Manuel Bartolomé Cossío Proprimaria in Mexico City and apprenticed as an electrician with his dad. His first music group was chosen to play on TV in a show headlined by the Smothers Brothers. He held a photographer's press pass for Tampa/St.Petersburg Times, capturing iconic images of JFK and his motorcade. In college he studied in Europe on scholarship and documented the program with photos later published in a book about the trip. He remained a great documentarian, archivist, and avid explorer of new experiences and knowledge throughout his life.

Jere earned a BA from Florida Presbyterian (now Eckerd) College and MED from the University of Florida. Jere met Kate when both were at FPC. They married and lived in Trenton where Jere taught high school. In 1972 they moved with their young daughter to Rome and Jere began his tenure at Berry College. Jere & Kate ran a home-based pottery business together, also traveling the southeast to show and sell their art. Jere's art was featured regularly in gallery exhibits as well as national and international magazines and television during his career. At Berry he was Associate Professor of Art until retirement in 2015. From 1972-2015 Jere established and helmed a robust ceramics program which brought visiting artists from around the world and impacted thousands of students' lives. He initiated & led student art history trips to Cortona, Italy, organized regular student gallery shows at Berry, developed the school's web design curriculum and built professional caliber kilns on the campus for student use. As with his own child, he believed in students' capacity and did his best to help them see their own potential too.

Jere never met a stranger and enjoyed many activities including boating, fishing, golfing, cycling, riding horses & motorcycles, building and flying remote control airplanes, target shooting, driving fast cars, and tennis. He was fluent in English, Spanish and Italian. He took several firsts in standing revolver at Flint River Gun Club. He built a complex antennae array for his ham radio and enjoyed making ham friends all over the world. His call sign was NR4V. He was an excellent guitarist and singer and continued to perform music while in Rome, including acoustic jazz trios and rock bands Ikon, Skin Horse, and Dayglow Fish. He was very proud that his daughter became a professional musician. He had a great sense of humor. He liked most animals but especially loved dogs.

Jere was a devoted husband of 49 years to wife Kate, who preceded him in death, and irreplaceable beloved loving father to his only daughter and son-in-law who survive him. Jere will be deeply missed but remembered with boundless love and admiration.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to WCK.org and raicestx.org