Man who drowned on Minnesota lake ID'd as high school assistant principal originally appeared on Bring Me The News.
The man who drowned while boating on Cass Lake in northern Minnesota has been identified as a high school assistant principal from North Dakota.
Jon Koehmstedt, 41, of Grafton, died after "exiting" a pontoon into water on Saturday evening to work on a boat motor problem, and didn't resurface, according to the Cass County Sheriff's Office.
Children on the boat tried to throw a life jacket into the water, and the pontoon then began to drift in high winds, before it was rescued by other boaters. Koehmstedt's body was found about two hours later, and he was not wearing a life jacket.
Koehmstedt was the assistant principal for grades 7-12 and the athletic director for Grafton High School and Junior High in North Dakota.
A tribute to Koehmstedt says he left "a lasting impression on generations of students, players, and fellow educators."
His obituary describes him as a "devoted friend, educator, mentor, counselor, coach, loving son, brother, nephew, uncle and cousin," but says his "greatest passion in life was being the 'Best Dad Ever' to his two children, Harper and Kase."
Prior to becoming assistant principal at Grafton High in 2018, he worked as a social studies teacher at Grafton Middle School, and principal in the Midway Public School System.
His funeral will be held this Saturday at the Grafton High School gym. More details here.
This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
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