Gerd Schmunk

She was just 3 months shy of 102 years old but she couldn’t be bothered to wait! She was eager to join Bill, her beloved husband of over 60 years who had pre-deceased her. She had a peaceful passing with family close at hand, having repeatedly made it clear she was ready to go, had no regrets and that she would see them again. True to her life, she played cards with friends a mere three days before passing!

Her death finished the last page of a story that started in Lillehamar, Norway where she was born. Crossing the ocean as a three-month old to start life in America (she had some help of course!), she grew up in Munising, a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Even as she became a centenarian, she still considered the U.P. home.

She was an adventurer who struck out on her own for Washington D.C. during the war to do her part, never mind that her horizon to that point had been a tiny Michigan town. She later moved to Chicago with a friend, again seeking adventure into the unknown to see what life held for her. Her husband to be, Bill, wooed her as they worked serving banquets at the YMCA and they began a life together.

They settled in Park Ridge, IL in 1957 to raise their four children. They had the good fortune and good health to travel the world by plane, car and successively larger RVs! It was often hard to catch them at home, but they always valued family, both immediate and extended. After Bill passed in 2011, Gerd re-engaged in life and stayed there until 2021, finally leaving her home of nearly 65 years to move to Lebanon Ohio, near her eldest daughter. Again, she became engaged in many activities and made many new friends during the 3-1/2 years living there until she passed. Remarkable that at 101 years old, her life was so full that she’d exclaim how thankful she was to have one day a week to herself, with nothing scheduled!

These words are but a poor substitute for the lively, animated being that Gerd was. You’d have to have known her to appreciate her vitality, thoughtfulness and sense of humor beyond these simple facts. We were sitting talking with her about her life and all the people she had known- all the groups ranging from church to badminton to potlucks to dance classes to camping to card playing. Oh, the cards! When she moved to Ohio, she launched a campaign to get bridge games going in her building. By the time she passed, they were up to four tables. She could be a force to be reckoned with!

But she also had a softer, compassionate side. This was reflected in her support of her family, her close friendships, and in the way she reached out to others in need.

We were talking with her about how she had to re-engage in life several times, after losing her husband of decades and after moving from her home of decades. Her response to the compliments on how she handled it was simply: “You have to.”

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her sister and brother, and many of her dear friends. She is survived by her four children [Kathy (Ellis), Steve, Patti (Hammon) and Christi (Buyer)], her seven grandchildren, her thirteen great-grandchildren, and her many game-playing friends.

A private celebration of life will be held for family only at a later date.

We thank everyone who helped make her life so rich in the ways that matter, and we hope you will smile when you think of her.