Herbert I. Schirmer

1928-2025

Herbert I. Schirmer, 97, of Rib Lake, passed away peacefully with his loving son at his bedside on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 at Aspirus Hospital in Medford. A memorial service for Herbert will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, with Pastor Kenneth Bittorf officiating. Burial will take place at a later date at Lakeview Cemetery. Visitation will take place at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. A luncheon will follow.

Herbert was born on June 10, 1928 to Irvin and Emma (Bartz) Schirmer in Chicago. He graduated from Taft High School, where he was very athletic and an accomplished gymnast and swimmer. After school, he joined the Marines, specializing in marksmanship and advanced welding.

He loved fishing, target shooting, and bird and deer hunting. It was his hunting adventures to the Schirmer hunting cabin in Ogema that led him to meet and tag his beloved two legged “dear”, Mary Ann Hengst. She was the love of his life and they married on June 16, 1951. They lived in Rib Lake for a short time and he worked as a body and fender repair man at Strebig Auto.

The couple then moved back to the Chicago area where he worked as a foreman in a welding shop. This led him to jointly purchase the family radiator and air conditioning business in Chicago with his cousin, Irving Schirmer. In 1961 they were blessed with the birth of their only child, David Allen. They lived in Arlington Heights and he commuted into Chicago daily until 1973.

Due to Mary Ann’s illness, the decision was then made to get out of the city and move to the country. They moved to Rib Lake and purchased the Hengst family farm. He really enjoyed the cows, watching the crops grow, and the blessings of fresh air and nature.

In 1986, his wife, Mary Ann, lost her battle with cancer and was called home. Herb lived alone on the farm the rest of his days across the driveway from his son and daughter-in-law, who purchased the family farm from him in 2000. Even after his so called retirement, he loved putzing around and helping out on the farm. He was a Cubs and Packers fan, and enjoyed playing sheepshead, putting puzzles together, and visits from friends and family. He felt blessed to be able to see his son almost every day for 64 years!

His two grandkids, Katrina and Eric were “the apple of his eye”. He was chief babysitter and enjoyed all their sporting events and concerts. He was grateful that he lived to see two great-grandchildren born. He loved their visits and wished he could tap into their seemingly infinite energy.

Herb will be missed by his son, David; daughter-inlaw, JoAnn (Hobl); grandchildren, Katrina Schirmer (Andrew) and Eric (Amanda) Schirmer; great-grandchildren, Payton and Owen Schirmer; niece, Carolyn Lipnick (California); brother-in-law, Fred (Diane) Hengst; sister-in-law, Irene (Skip) Gram. Herb is further survived by many nieces; nephews; and other family and friends.

Herb was preceded in death by his parents, Irvin and Emma; wife, Mary Ann; sister, Norma Jantzen; brothers-in-law, Jack, Jim, Melvin and Monte Hengst; sisters-in-law, Bernice (Chuck) Krejci, Arlene (Ted) Koenigs, Alice (Bob) Otto, Carolyn (Ray) Schirmer, and Esther (Jim) Peterson.

Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford is serving the family.

Please visit www.hemerfuneralservice.com to share condolences online.

Paid Obituary 178662