Arizona's only member of the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame has died at the age of 87. Jerry Colburn Nunn passed away Aug. 20 at The Peaks after a brief illness. She was the first female Forest Service Snow Ranger, a lifelong member of the National Ski Patrol, and a major figure in the development, promotion and success of the Avalauncher, a gas-powered anti-avalanche gun She was featured in a cover story in the December 1959 issue of Skiing magazine. She also worked for the Olympic Patrol at the 1960 Winter Games in Squaw Valley. She was inducted into the ski hall of fame in 2004. In 2006, she won the Carson White Golden Quill Award from the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA).

EARLY MEMBER OF SKI PATROL

Jerry Colburn Nunn was born March 12, 1922, to Charles and Kathy Schreiber. She grew up in Sacramento, Calif., and first skied at the Soda Springs ski resort at Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada. By 18, she was assisting the Soda Springs regular emergency physician in the ski patrol room. She joined the National Ski Patrol System as a patroller in 1944. In 1949, she joined the ski patrol at Sugar Bowl. Next, she was accepted into the Squaw Valley Ski Patrol in 1954 She and Monty Atwater merged their collective avalanche knowledge, gained from being Ski Rangers, to finalize the Avalauncher in 1966. The device has become the most widely used avalanche controller in the United States. For many years, Nunn was the duo's principal saleslady, hauling the assortment of rockets in the back of her Chevrolet sedan. "Explosives" graced her back windshield.

MARRIED FELLOW PATROLLER

Nunn gave up traveling in 1975 when she married her husband, Jimmie, whom she met on the Olympic ski patrol at Squaw Valley back in 1960. Jimmie, an architect, moved from Texas to Flagstaff with his family in 1934. He began to ski at Snowbowl in 1936 and skied for the Flagstaff High School ski team. After Jimmie's retirement in 1985, the Nunns settled into a peaceful life in Flagstaff. They built a big barn on their Fort Valley property for housing all of the equipment from both their ski careers. Called the Arizona Ski Museum, the collection includes more than 500 pairs of skis, vintage ski outfits, colorful posters, group and celebrity ski photos, snowsport badges and even a chair lift. The Nunns hosted events in the barn, including fashion shows to raise money for local charities. Nunn was a long-time supporter of the Arizona Snowbowl and the Flagstaff Ski Team. She established the Old Timers Race and the Ladies' Day program. She also received a lifetime achievement award from Snowbowl. "It is an honor for Snowbowl and the city of Flagstaff," J.R. Murray, general manager of Arizona Snowbowl, told the Daily Sun in 2004 upon learning of Nunn's induction into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame.. "It is very prestigious. Only people who are World Cup and Olympic skiers and skiing pioneers are inducted."

She is survived by her husband Jimmie Nunn. Sons James Colburn, Robert Colburn, Steven Nunn, and Michael Nunn; daughters Mary LeMieux, Kay Jouanneau, Billie Ann Colburn, Carol Salinas and Mary Elayne Hollabaugh. She was preceded in death by her son Richard Colburn

A Memorial Service will be 10 am, Wednesday, September 2nd the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany. A Celebration of her life will be at 2:00 that afternoon at the Hart Prairie Lodge, at the Arizona Snowbowl.