Gary Gene Gonnerman

-----------Service Location Change------- The service will take place at South Square in St. Ansgar. There will be a luncheon to follow. On February 7, 2024, Gary Gene Gonnerman died and had the joy of seeing his beloved Savior face to face. His memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. with the viewing at 9:30 A.M. on February 23, 2024 at South Square in St. Ansgar, IA. An interment service will be held immediately after the memorial service at St. Ansgar Cemetery. Gary Gonnerman was born on August 6, 1940, on his family’s farm in Dysart, Iowa, to Charles and Marie Gonnerman. He was the 10th child out of 11. He attended the Dysart Community School and graduated in 1958. When school was not in session, he loved to farm, fish, hunt, and trap. At age 7, during evangelistic meetings, Gary realized that he was a sinner and needed Jesus Christ to be his Savior. He repented of his sin, and asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life. He never regretted making that life changing decision. From 1960-1964, Gary attended Omaha Baptist Bible College in Omaha, NE. Soon after graduating, he realized that God was calling him into full time pastoral ministry. He pastored a small church in Burlington, Iowa, for 4-5 months before returning to OBBC to obtain his BA in theology and Bible with a minor in Christian Education. In 1967, he graduated. On June 8, 1968, Gary married Sheryl Gilbert from Loup City, NE. Born to this union were four children - Becky, Rachel, Randy, and Richard along with four more children who went to be with the Lord before birth. On August 30, 2007, Gary’s beloved wife, Sheryl, went home to be with the Lord after a battle with cancer. God was good and gave Gary another helpmeet, Marguerite Gonnerman, and they were married on April 17, 2010. Together they continued ministering for the Lord. Gary’s life centered around sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through various pastoral ministries in the Clear Lake Regular Baptist Church (1968-1975), the Mt. Ayr Regular Baptist Church (1975-1981), the St. Ansgar Baptist Church (1984-2013), and the First Baptist Church in Osage, IA (2016-2023). He loved building relationships with each person he came in contact with, both in the church and in the community. Leading Bible studies in the local nursing homes, having coffee with the locals, and attending the schools’ football games gave him even more opportunities to share the gospel. He also delighted in working with children through the bus ministry in Clear Lake, teaching preschoolers during 25 summers at the Regular Baptist Camp, and ministering to children in Vacation Bible School. On Easter, 2023, Gary preached his final sermon. Then, he and Marguerite moved to Marshalltown, IA in July to be near their daughter, Becky. On October 29, Gary moved to the Oakview Nursing Home in Conrad, IA, where he continued to be a blessing to each resident and staff member who cared for him. He made sure all of them knew that he had accepted Jesus as his Savior and that he was ready to meet Jesus face to face. Left to survive him are his wife (Marguerite Gonnerman), children - Becky Huang (Jesse), Rachel Hershey (Roy), Randal Gonnerman (Becky), Richard Gonnerman; grandchildren - Joshua Huang (Alyssa), Jennifer Huang, Janette Kern (Abraham), Jamie Schmidt (Paul), Jesse David Huang, Joyanna Huang, Jonathan Huang, James Huang, Jason Huang, Joseph Huang, Josiah Huang, Jabez Huang, Sabrina Genung (Josiah), Seth Hershey, Samuel Hershey, Simeon Hershey, Jessica Cogil (Kyle), Grant Gonnerman, Joel Gonnerman, Ryan Gonnerman, and Wyatt Gonnerman; and great-grandchildren - Jadon Huang, Jocelyn Huang, Josiah Schmidt, and Shiloh Genung.