Lynn Edward Klock, 75, of Amherst, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly of heart failure on August 16, 2025. He was Emeritus Professor of Saxophone at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, retiring in 2014 after 34 years. He was also saxophonist and former bass clarinetist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and a frequent guest artist and clinician across the US and abroad. He is remembered as a gifted performer, a dedicated teacher, and a warm and generous mentor. In addition to his musical career, Lynn’s life was rich with family, golf, model railroads, and the many friends he made along the way. Known for his ready smile and positive warmth, he leaves an indelible impact on those whose lives he touched.
Lynn was born on August 12, 1950, in Toledo, Ohio. He grew up in Riga, MI, where his father, Lester Ellsworth Klock, worked as a machinist in a factory and farmed the family land while his mother, Mary Elmer Klock, ran the household and drove the school bus. Lynn’s older sister took up the saxophone to be in the school band, and Lynn followed suit. The band director of their small rural school quickly recognized Lynn’s musical talent and recommended private lessons. Lynn said he always considered himself fortunate to have grown up close to Ann Arbor, giving him the pivotal opportunity to study while still in high school with the University of Michigan’s renowned saxophone professor, Larry Teal.
Thanks to his parents’ support, Lynn attended the National Music Camp at Interlochen, MI. From there, he won a scholarship for his senior year of high school to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he studied with Jack Kripl. He went on to study again with Larry Teal and with Donald Sinta at the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Music. He paid his way through school by playing in dance bands and pit orchestras, and teaching private students, including at Olivet College (MI) and the University of Toledo (OH). At U of M, he met fellow music student, hornist Laura Campbell. They married in 1975, and Lynn joined Laura in Amherst, MA, where she was assistant professor of horn at the University of Massachusetts. Lynn gave his Carnegie Recital Hall debut in 1978 and taught at the Hartt School of Music before joining the faculty of the University of Massachusetts in 1980.
Lynn was an eager musical collaborator with his university colleagues and beyond. He expanded the classical saxophone repertoire, commissioning, inspiring, and championing new music throughout his career. His recordings include an LP with the Detroit Saxophone Quartet, recorded while he was still a student, and six CDs of both standard repertoire and some of the many compositions written for him. Through his dedicated teaching, he shaped a generation of students, many of whom have gone on to professional playing and teaching careers. Lynn was extremely proud of all his students. He especially cherished the contact he had with each of them and the sense that he could witness and be a part of their development.
Lynn was equally enthusiastic about his hobbies. As a member of the Amherst Railway Society, he assisted with the annual Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield, MA, passing on the joy of model trains to his beloved grandchildren, ages 3-7. Still a farmer at heart, Lynn was known in the neighborhood as the friendly guy who gave tractor rides. To his many golfing buddies, he was a serious player and a good-natured partner.
Lynn leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Laura Campbell Klock, their daughter and son-in-law, Suzanne Klock and Alfredo Romero, their son and daughter-in-law, Benjamin Klock and Kiah McAndrew-Davis, and grandchildren Aylen, Lola Mae, Shepherd, and Dylan. He also leaves his sister, Sharon Barendreght and family, his brother-in-law, Robert Campbell and family, and his sister-in-law, Harriet Renee Campbell, along with cousins and their families and friends across the U.S. and beyond.
Lynn and Laura attended Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, MA, where he was a member of the Finance Committee and assisted with projects of the church’s Haiti Ministry. Friends and family are cordially invited to a Celebration of Life at Grace Church on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 1:00 pm.
In remembrance of Lynn, contributions may be made to The Klock Saxophone Studio Fund at UMass Donate Here or to The Haiti Ministry of Grace Church, Amherst, MA, supporting St. Matthew’s School in rural Haiti at www.gracechurchamherst.org