Irma Schumacher, 85

Aug. 2, 1934 —

Feb. 13, 2020

 

AMES - Irma Schumacher of Ames, Iowa died on Feb. 13, 2020 at the Israel House Hospice in Ames. 

Funeral services were on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in St. Donatus, Iowa. Burial was in St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in St. Donatus.

Irma Lillian Schumacher was born on Aug. 2, 1934 on the family farm outside of St. Donatus to Herman and Alvina (Knief) Hueneke. She was the youngest grandchild of Dietrich and Rebecca Hueneke, who were early settlers of the St. Donatus area. She was baptized in St. John’s Lutheran Church on Aug. 30, 1934, and her godmothers were Lillian Knief and Amellia Hueneke. She was raised on the family farm, which was within walking distance of St. John’s. She was confirmed there on June 29, 1947. 

Irma attended a kindergarten through eighth grade country school located four miles east of her home. As a student in Jackson County, Iowa she attended eighth grade graduation in the county seat of Maquoketa. She attended high school in Bellevue, Iowa and graduated in 1951. 

That fall she went to Dubuque, Iowa to work at the Iowa Oil Co. as a clerical worker. Her boss would later become her father-in-law, when she married George Edward Schumacher on June 14, 1953 at St. John’s Lutheran Church. In March 1954, the couple moved to Waukon, Iowa, where they farmed for three years. 

George went to work for Farm Bureau in 1957 and they moved to Cresco, Iowa and later Chariton, Iowa. In 1961, they bought a farm near Cresco, and in 1962 they purchased their first registered Angus heifers. George supplemented their farm income by working for SCS and the Arco plant in Bonair, Iowa. 

In 1971, the Schumachers purchased Farm Discount Store in Cresco and sold feed products. Irma was the bookkeeper and usually worked in the store. In 1980 they sold the store. In 1984 Irma took classes to become a Certified Nurses Aide and began working at Cresco Care Center, working predominantly nights. She retired from that job in 2000, after more than 15 years of faithful service. 

The couple moved to Ames in 2010 to live at The Rose senior living apartments. George passed away in 2011, and Irma continued living at The Rose until May 2019 when she transferred to The Bickford Assisted Living in Ames. 

She was an excellent seamstress and quilter during her lifetime. She made many clothes for not only herself but her three daughters while they were growing up and taught them to sew as well. She also enjoyed gardening while living at the farm near Cresco and was an avid reader, having read the Bible numerous times. 

 She is survived by her four children, Rebecca Sawyer of Bassett, Neb., Mark (Susan) Schumacher of Wolsey, S.D., Mitzi Schumacher of Lexington, Ky. and Johanna (Chad Cook) Schumacher of Boone, Iowa; five grandchildren; and one great-grandson, along with nieces and nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, George; sisters, Mildred (Cletus) Davis and Marie (Paul) Hoffman; brother, Aaron Hueneke; her parents, Herman and Alvina Hueneke; her father and mother-in-law, George and Helen Schumacher; brother-in-law, William Schumacher; and son-in-law, Arlen Sawyer. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the St. John’s Lutheran Church. Online condolences may be left at www.hachmannfuneralhome.com.