Roger E. Gering, age 87, of Sheboygan, died on Wednesday, May 15,2024, at Azura Memory Care in Sheboygan. He was born in Oconto, Wl, on November 5,1936, to the late Earl and Marie DeCloux Gering.
In his younger years he resided in Oconto and when Roger was 6 years old, the family moved to Milwaukee. He attended area schools and graduated from Washington High School in 1954. While in high school, he was completing the 4-year Apprentice Training Course as a Machinist, at Kearney & Trecker Corporation in Milwaukee. He graduated in February 1958 and worked in the special machinery division until his enlistment in the United States Air Force on March 10, 1958. He met his wife, Sally E. VanHorn, while stationed at George AFB, California and on September 29, 1962, they were united in marriage at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas. After 56 years of marriage, Sally preceded Roger in death on May 13, 2018.
During his career in the military, he was a crew chief for the F100 Super Sabre and his proudest moment was being the first crew chief for the F104 Star Fighter that went into service. He also did two tours in Vietnam which included 2 successful special missions, that required him to go out into the midst of battle, to fix a plane, which was shot down, get it up and flying, before the enemy found them and the plane. Roger then furthered his career in the Air Force by going back to school and becoming a Data Processor/ Programmer. He was a Systems Monitor/Scheduler at Columbus AFB, Miss and eventually moved up to become the Chief of the Technical Support Branch at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. He was in charge of the Honeywell 6080 and Burroughs 3500 computer systems. He received many accommodations for his extensive knowledge of these computers. In 1978, he retired from the United States Air Force after honorably serving for 20 years. He and his family then moved back to Wisconsin, and he started working at Heritage Computer Corporation, which eventually became Acuity. He retired from Acuity in 1999.
After retirement, Roger was very involved in the VFW Post 9156, TREA (The Retired Enlisted Association) Chapter 76, and the American Legion. He was the Chaplain for both the VFW and TREA, which included attending and participating in the funerals of former Veterans. He created “Vets Nite Out” which was a once-a-month program, which picked one Vet from a nursing facility and their family, to come and enjoy a Friday night meal, all expenses paid at the VFW. The veteran that was chosen, always enjoyed visiting with other veterans and it always was a nice night out for the veteran. This was a program that Roger was very proud of, and his hope was that other VFWs in other cities would do something of the same.
Roger’s faith was strong, and he could always be found every morning sitting at the kitchen table, drinking his coffee and reading his bible. He was a member of St Luke United Methodist Church; Sally and Roger were involved in many activities with the church. This included helping with the Christ Meal and being the producer of the “Video Church of the Air” and after editing the service, he would copy it to CD’s and deliver them to shut-ins from the church, so they could also see and hear the word of God. He also was an Usher, and was there every Sunday, in case they needed a fill in.
His other hobbies included racing Go-Karts in Elkhart Lake. He was in a Tuesday night league at the Karting Kettle, and thoroughly enjoyed racing against the “younger folks” He did this for several years and after achieving 5th place for the season, he decided to stop racing after accomplishing his goal of placing in 5th place or above. He then got his dream job of working at Road America in the summers and he worked at the Entrance gates, taking or selling tickets. He has always loved racing, with Indy being his favorite and he loved walking around and getting the chance to meet drivers from time to time. When not working, he would be watching it on Sunday, along with the Packers. He worked at Road America from 1999 until 2016, when health reasons required him to stop working.
Roger is survived by his three children; Kevin (Sue) Gering, of Sheboygan, Patrick (Marianne) Gering, of Fitchburg, and Colleen (Tom) Schlieder, of Sheboygan; grandchildren, Sarah (Brad) Douglas of Pickerington, OH, Jason (special friend Alleah Tercher) Gering of Manchester NH, and Austin (special friend Emma Gonzalez) Gering of Neenah. He is further survived by family and friends. Along with his wife and parents, Roger was also preceded in death by his sister and brother-in-law, Marilyn and Bruce Lawrence.
A funeral service for Roger will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at St. Luke United Methodist Church, 623 Ontario Ave. Sheboygan with Pastor Ric Olson officiating. Family and friends may gather at the Church on Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service at 1:00 p.m. Entombment will take place at Greenlawn Memorial Park in the Gardens of Peace Mausoleum. VFW Post 9156 will be providing full military honors.
The family would like to thank the caregivers of Azura Memory Care Assisted Living for their love and care of our father. You truly made him feel at home. We would also like to thank the Aurora Memorial Medical Center – Sheboygan County Emergency Department for their quick action, care and concern every time my father was brought in. My father was a frequent flier of the Emergency Department, and his care was wonderful every time. Lastly, we would like to thank all of our friends and coworkers for your constant prayers and words of support during this long journey.
In lieu of flowers please send memorial contributions to the VFW Post 9156, to be used for Veterans in need and for the Veteran military honors program.
The Reinbold-Novak Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at www.reinboldfh.com
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