John Schumacher
November 24, 1931 - February 01, 2021
Obituary
John Schumacher, age 89, of Billings died quietly on Monday, February 1st. In 1931, John was born in Sentinel Butte, ND, the youngest child of Gerhard and Clara Schumacher. He was raised on the family farm near Golva, ND. At six years of age, his family moved to St. Michael, MN, his father's boyhood home. John's great-grandfather, Mathias Schumacher, settled near St. Michael as an immigrant from Germany in circa 1856. John returned to the family farm, with his parents, after the beginning of World War II. They relocated to Bismarck, ND after the war. In 1950, John graduated from St. Mary's High School in Bismarck. John joined the U.S. Air Force, with a strong sense of duty, during the Korean War, serving as a jet mechanic. After leaving the Air Force, he attended North Dakota State University and graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He took a position as a rocket propulsion engineer with Honeywell in Minneapolis after graduation. John followed his parents to Billings, MT in ca. 1967. His father passed away in 1969. John worked as a contractor and carpenter for many years; he built a house in the Central Park area of Billings. After retiring, he stayed with his mother Clara until she died in 1989. Since then, he has continued to enjoy his hobbies and retirement years. A car enthusiast in his younger years, John owned a 1959 Corvette convertible, a 1965 Mustang, and a 1951 MG “Love Story” convertible. He had an active interest in computers, aviation and the manned space program--enjoying NASA TV on television! John loved to travel by car, taking his mother to North Dakota and to Truth or Consequences, NM. He also enjoyed his own impromptu road trips, up until a few years ago. John was visited regularly by relatives and he also attended occasional family reunions. He enjoyed talking about his time growing up in North Dakota--about family events, his father's homestead years and about his own special memories and experiences. Ephesians 6:2-3 exhorts us to “honor your father and mother”; John truly was a faithful example of honoring and caring for his parents while they were alive and in the memories he shared about them. He received in his life the promise that “…it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” John, a life-long bachelor, was preceded in death by his parents, Gerhard and Clara Schumacher, and by his sisters, Angeline, Leona, and Irma (Sister Michelle O.S.B.). He is survived by his sister, Lucille Hammes of Davis, CA, eighteen nieces and nephews and by many grand-nieces and grand-nephews. A family gathering is planned on Tuesday May 4th, 2021 at 7pm at Dahl Funeral Chapel. A graveside service with military honors will be held on Wednesday May 5th, 2021 at 10 am at Holy Cross Cemetery. Both events will be livestreamed and available below. Please click "Watch Event" to view the livestream. A recording will be available at a later time.
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Memories
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Doug Vetsch
Other •
I remember going to see Uncle John with Becka in Sept 2019. We were passing through Billings and I wanted to check in and see him. So glad we did. He was watching TV, I think a game show was on. I wanted to introduce Becka, my wife of 4 Yrs at the time. He was warm and welcoming. He was very talkative and memory was sharp as a tack. Go see your loved ones while you can, when you think of them. The two pictures are my Grandpa Gerhard and Grandma Clara when they got married. I remember those pictures on the walls when I'd visit as a small boy. And painting is of the family farm in North Dakota where Uncle John and my mom Angie grew up along with my other Aunts Leona, Sister Michelle and Lucille. My mom actually painted the picture. Uncle John, you will be missed.
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John Schaff
Other •
For the last 25 years I would pay my uncle a visit each time I visited Billings. We would walk to the Tapp Inn a few blocks away and talk for hours on end. There wasn't anything I couldn't talk to him about. We discussed everything from the Beverly Hillburys to contemporary politics, and, of course, family. He provided me with a different view of everyone in the family, and Grandpa was 55 when he was born, so almost like a grandchild, he had a unique view of everything. He had a mesomorph body like the Weiss family, and once when I was in North Dakota visiting relatives, they said they could tell I was a Weiss from down the block. All muscle, that is. I do see a lot of myself in Uncle John, and I felt close to him. I am so very glad that I got to know him and myself better in knowing him. He was a good man, excellent conversationalist, and tinkerer, par excellence. He would build computers and other contraptions in the basement. If someone finds a time machine, I would love to have that.
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Erin Noel
Other •
Uncle John was always a very kind, quiet man. He was spoken highly of by so many in the family; I don't think I ever heard a negative thing about him! I am grateful for the visits we had with him. May you rest in peace, Uncle John. Love, your great-niece Erin
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Judith Vetsch
Other •
I wish to thank our Uncle John for his quiet generosity. It must have been very helpful to our grandparents, Clara and Gerhard, when John moved to Billings to help them out in their older years. And, I am so impressed by how organized John was regarding his will and his trust. I thank him for his generosity and for his fairness to all of us, his nieces and nephews. John gave several interviews about his life, and because of these interviews, my generation and younger generations can know more about our family history and what it was like to grow up on the North Dakota farm. Thanks to Joel and Johnny, and perhaps others, for these interviews. I have also heard that John gave donations to the Benedictine Sisters in St. Joseph, Minnesota. One of his sisters, Sr. Michelle, and two aunts, Sr. Irma and Sr. Valencia, were nuns in this community. So, we thank you, Uncle John. We have good memories of you! May you rest in peace. Your niece, Judy
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Daniel O'Hara
Other •
I wrote in John's obituary a verse from Ephesians 6:2-3 about the promise from God that "....it will go well with you and you may live long on the earth" for those who honor their parents. This promise, like all promises in the Bible, are about faith in the true God. Whether John was even aware of this promise, I do not know, but he did indeed live a long life which testifies to the validity of God's promises. While eighty-nine years is a long life by human standards, it is important to realize that eternity is an infinitely longer period! Because of that, I thought I would share from Matthew 7:13-14, where Jesus Christ (the Son of God and the judge of all mankind) said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Funerals should be a time when eternity is considered carefully and not glossed over in an attempt to deceive ourselves with ear tickling platitudes. The reality of the spiritual realm in heaven and hell is very real, more real than our temporal earthly existence!
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Daniel O'Hara
Other •
In writing John's obituary I noted the promise from Ephesians 6:2 for those that honor their parents, "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." John's care for his parents was a major part of his life and whether he was aware of Ephesians 6:2-3 or not, he did live long on the earth, a testimony to the validity of God's Word. John's service to our nation in the Air Force helped preserve freedom (which is based in God per II Corinthians 3:17), standing against the advance of Communism in Korea. It is also important to reflect on eternity at this time, an infinitely longer period than 89 years! At this time, I am sure John would agree! Jesus Christ (Son of God and judge of all mankind) said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."