John Joseph Gerber

John J. Gerber, age 89 of Perham and Dent, MN, passed away on November 10, 2025. John passed away at his home after a battle with cancer and left us with broken hearts, but with joy too, because we will see him again with Jesus.

John Joseph Gerber was born March 10th, 1936, the second child of Aloysious "Wishy" and Dorothy "Dotty" (Hoffmann) Gerber. He was born at the home of his grandparents, John and Birdie (Lein) Hoffmann because the roads in March were unpassible any further towards Perham. He was delivered by Mary Goyke, midwife and Grandma Birdie.

John had a wonderful time growing up on the Gerber family farm with his sister, Mary. They had many pets, and the rule was if you named it, you could keep it.

In September 1941, John had his first day of school at the one room Rose Hill country school that he attended through the eighth grade. In 1943, his baby sister, Rosanne, was born into the family. When she was five years old she started school at Rose Hill and John, who was in the eighth grade, watched over her. He would carry her little lunch pail and help her get over the snow drifts that could get ten to twenty feet high over the roads. The drifts would then freeze rock hard, allowing John and Rosanne to walk on top of them from school to home.

John followed his big sister, Mary, to Perham High School and graduated with the class of 1954. After high school, John farmed with his dad and Uncle Fran. He always enjoyed farming.

In 1958, John was drafted into the US Army. He was at Fort Carson, CO for basic training, Fort Ord, CA and shipped overseas from Fort Dix, NJ. John served with the NATO Forces in Germany as a member of the 4th Armored Division. He and his buddies had many adventures in Germany. He was honorably discharged in 1964.

John loved garage sales and always found a special treasure. He also enjoyed metal detecting with his sister, Rosanne, on Sundays and they found many neat artifacts hidden in the ground. He enjoyed farming and tending to his animals for many years. John also worked in carpentry with Cyril Palubicki for several years. Cyril and Karen were his good friends. He had many good friends who became like his brothers. After a long and fun life attending get togethers, birthdays, and holidays, the years flew by and it was on to Heaven for more lovely times.

John is survived by his sisters, Mary Graves and Rosanne Estrem; nephews, Dan (Jodi) Hughes and Tim (Cathy) Graves; a niece, Kathy Clemmer; great nieces, Holly and Cameo; great nephew, Forest; and many wonderful friends. He was preceded into to Heaven by his parents, Wishy and Dotty Gerber; many friends; grandparents and great grandparents.

Good-bye dear brother! May Jesus and His angels take you to paradise.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2025 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Schoeneberger Funeral and Cremation Service of Perham. Visitation will resume at 10:00 a.m. on Fri. Nov. 14 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dent, MN, followed by the Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, in rural Perham.

In Lieu of Flowers, Memorials are preferred to Mary Jo Copeland's Sharing and Caring Hands or the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls.

Schoeneberger Funeral & Cremation Service, Perham, MN (218) 346-5175 www.schoenebergerfh.com