Gerald "Gerry" A. Schumacher

Gerald A. "Gerry" Schumacher, age 101 of Wausa, Nebraska died on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at the Countryside Villa in Wausa.

Mass of Christian Burial will be on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Crofton, Nebraska with the Rev. Jim Keiter officiating. Burial will be at the Magnet Cemetery in Magnet, NE with military honors by the Crofton American Legion Post #128 and the American Legion Riders.

Due to the pending snow storm.......the Visitation has been changed to Saturday, at church, from 12:30 until 2:00 p.m.

Pallbearers will be Gayle Albrecht, Scot Albrecht, Thomene Hottel, Bill Hottel, Nancy Wisner, and Becky Dock. Honorary pallbearers will be Bill Schumacher, Mary Coker, and the Crofton American Legions Post #128.

Gerald Arthur was born on January 22, 1924 in Crofton, Nebraska to Anton Paul and Anna K. (Kube) Schumacher. He grew up south of Crofton and attended Country School there. He attended the 8th and 9th grade in Bloomfield. Gerry helped his dad on the farm at a time when draft horses were used. Gerry joined the U.S. Navy after being drafted and served on the U.S.S. Stormes DD-780 destroyer ship from 6-2-1944 to 6/4/1946 as an electrician’s mate third class. After his discharge and returning to the states, Gerry worked as an electrician. He married Betty Jean Anderson on November 24, 1948 in Hartington, NE during a stretch of heavy snow which lasted into 1949.

Gerry and Betty moved to Colorado in 1951 where he worked as an electrician in the Denver area. He also worked at night for Pacific intermountain Express from 1951-1954. He then found work through the Internatinal Brotherhood of Electrical Workers labor union in the Denver area. A downturn in employment in 1958 prompted him to sign on at a military communications site in Greenland to pay for his home and car. Eight months later, he returned home to his wife and five children. Gerry and Betty rented 11 acres in the Welby, CO area on the north side of Denver. They sent their children to the parochial school and grew a large garden. They both volunteered for the VFW. Gerry and Betty moved to Commerce City, CO before retiring in 1985 and moving to Northglenn, CO. They returned to Wausa in the early 2000’s.

Gerry was married to Betty for nearly 73 years until her death on 4/14/2021 at the age of 94. He loved to play pitch, was member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus, the Crofton American Legion Post #128, and a lifetime member of the VFW.

Gerry is survived by 3 children: Frances (Don) Wisner of Cortez, CO, Gloria Anderson Schumacher of Brighton, CO, Mary Coker of Denver CO; daughter-in-law Roxanne Mowry of Texas, 8 grandchildren – Emily Wisner Meyers, Nancy Wisner, Thomene Hottel, Bill Hottel, Becky (Patrick) Dock, Christin, Michelle, Anthony, Griffin Meyers, and Avett Meyers; 12 great grandchildren – Lucianna, Thomas, Fredie, Javier, Hope Dock, Dre Schumacher, Anton, Kaidean, Cody, Jacob, Keondre, and Bentley.

Gerry was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Betty; 2 sons, Thomas and Anthony; granddaughter Michelle Mowrey; siblings Lorraine (Al) Pratt, Jerome Schumacher, Rita (Dan) Root, and Paul Schumacher; brother-in-law Vern Anderson, and 3 sisters-in-law Mary Ann Albrecht, Jinnie Vise, and Gloria Anderson.