Irma Lillian (Hueneke) Schumacher

                Irma Lillian Schumacher was born August 2, 1934 on the family farm outside of St. Donatus, Iowa 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 August 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 and was  confirmed there on June 29, 1947.

                Irma attended a Kindergarten – 8^th 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.  Irma attended high school in Bellevue, Iowa and graduated in 1951.  That fall she went to Dubuque to work at the Iowa Oil Co. as a clerical worker.  Her boss would later become her father-in-law.

                Irma married George Edward Schumacher on June 14, 1953 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in St. Donatus. In March 1954 George and Irma moved to Waukon, Iowa where they farmed for three years.  George went to work for Farm Bureau in 1957 and they moved to Cresco 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 George and Irma purchased the 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 the Cresco Care Center, working predominantly nights.  She retired from that job in 2000, after more than 15 years of faithful service.  George and Irma 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.

                Irma 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.

                Irma died Feb. 13, 2020 at the Israel House Hospice in Ames, Iowa.  Funeral Services will be 11:00 am, Saturday, February 22, 2020 at St. John Lutheran Church in St. Donatus, family will greet friends 9:30 am until service time at the church.  Burial will be in St. John Lutheran Cemetery in St. Donatus.

She is survived by her four children Rebecca Sawyer of Bassett, Neb; Mark and wife Susan Schumacher of Wolsey, S.D.; Mitzi Schumacher of Lexington, Ky.; Johanna Schumacher and Chad Cook of Boone, Iowa; five grandchildren, and one great grandson, along with nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband George, sisters Mildred Davis and husband Cletus and Marie Hoffman and husband Paul, 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.