LeRoy Schumacher

Mass of Christian Burial for LeRoy Schumacher, 89, of Knoxville, will be Thursday,
May 1, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Anthony Catholic Church in Knoxville.
Interment will be at the Graceland Cemetery following the service.
Family will receive friends at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home (Corner of Main
and Harlan) in Knoxville, on Wednesday evening, April 30th, from 4:00 until 7:00
p.m. with a Rosary Service at 7:00 p.m.  Memorials may be made in LeRoy's honor
to the St Anthony Catholic Church Building and Maintenance Fund or to the
Pleasantville FFA Alumni.
LeRoy Martin Schumacher was born October 13, 1935, in Milo, Iowa to Frank and
Arabellia Ripperger Schumacher. He was the 9th of 11 children born to the family.
He attended Center Country School north of Lacona. LeRoy began working on the
farm at a young age and was called home to help provide for the family in the
eighth grade.
He met the love of his life while on a double date with his brother and two young
ladies in Knoxville. He was married to Darlene Schaefer on June 13, 1959. The
couple have been blessed with 66 years of marriage and four boys: Frank, Gary,
Robert, and Ryan.
The family made their home near Pleasantville working on his cousin’s farm in
1959, before they entered a farm partnership with Mr. Paul Harp. They built their
family and farm around this partnership as they expanded the farm and raised
crops, cattle, and hogs. LeRoy was progressive and adapted new practices and
conservation efforts that improved the land and stabilized the soil. He won a no-
till corn yield contest at 247 bushels several years ago and was always amazed at
how the yields continued to improve. LeRoy loved raising livestock, raising hogs
until 1996 and especially enjoyed the cow calf part of the farm. He was able to
help with the harvest of 2024, seeing more record yields for his farms. LeRoy was
not afraid of work and would work from sunrise to sunset and beyond. He was
always a farmer, planning short vacations, music festivals, and surgeries around
the planting and harvest seasons.
LeRoy was active in his community. He served as a Union Township Trustee, Farm
Bureau Board Member, Marion County Cattlemen Member, and St. Anthony
Catholic Church where he served on the Parish Council and on the Building
Committee when building the current church.
LeRoy and Darlene, after meeting at a dance, continued to go dancing throughout
their life together. They belonged to Square Dancing Clubs, attended musical
festivals and jamborees, and especially loved playing cards any chance he got.
His family has been his greatest joy and loved to be with his children and
grandchildren. He loved working and playing side by side with them. LeRoy passed
away Friday, April 25th at the MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines. He will be
greatly missed by his wife of 66 years, Darlene Schumacher; sons: Frank (Anita)
Schumacher, Gary (Marilyn) Schumacher, Robert Schumacher, and Ryan (Renae)
Schumacher; grandchildren: Crystal (Tom) Horsman, Kimberly (Ben) Loss, Melissa
(Parag) Adhangale, Donald (Brittany) Rummans, Seth Schumacher, and Jonah
Schumacher; 11 great grandchildren; brother, Tom (Dixie) Schumacher; sister-in-
law, Betty Schumacher; and many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
Preceding him in death were his parents, Frank & Arabellia Schumacher; and
siblings: Joe Schumacher, Alice Fawcett, Ruth Wood, Paul Schumacher, Ed
Schumacher, Carl Schumacher, Ray Schumacher, Larry Schumacher, and infant
John Earl Schumacher.