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Lloyd Jr.

Uncle Vernon is Home with Jesus Now

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Uncle Vernon passed away at about 11:00am today (Friday, January 6, 2023) at De Paul Hospital in St. Louis. Mary Jane and Ron were at his side.

He went to the hospital Sunday with what turned out to be a combination of pneumonia, Covid and kidney failure, and went on hospice care on Wednesday.

Visitation, Funeral, and Burial Arrangements

Vernon’s funeral and visitation will be on Tuesday, January 10, at Grace Lutheran Chapel (10015 Lance Drive, Bellefontaine Neighbors Missouri 63137). Visitation will be from 9am to 11am.

The funeral will begin at 11:00 with Pastor Nathan Ruback officiating. Following the service, there will be a luncheon at the church.

You are invited to attend the burial at Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens (2000 Pennsylvania Ave, St. Louis, Missouri 62133). We will travel in a funeral procession from the church to the cemetery following the luncheon.

Uncle Vernon’s Obituary

Vernon Paul Ernest Sommerer, 96, of Bissell Hills, Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 6, 2023 at DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton, MO.  Vernon was predeceased in 2007 by his wife of 55 years, Florence Josephine Wakefield Sommerer.  His family included their only child, Mary Jane Piazza and her husband Ronald Piazza of Richmond, Massachusetts, grandsons Ian and Jordan Piazza both of Boston, MA and granddaughter Olivia Piazza of San Francisco.  He is predeceased by his parents Adolph Mathias Sommerer and Theresa A. M. Erhardt Sommerrer, and 9 of his 11 siblings and their spouses:  Elizabeth (and Justin) Williams, Lillian (and Theodore) Kuegele, Erhardt “Bud” (and Alma) Sommerer, Felix (and Carol) Sommerer, Marjorie (and Edgar) Beck, Beatrice (and Fred) Putnam, Mahlon Sommerer, Cleopha Howard, Naomi (and Louis) Vetter, and brother in law Ralph Sommerer.  He is survived by two siblings:  Loyola “Lolly” Sommerer and Lloyd (and Jane) Sommerer, sisters-in-law Marylynn Sommerer and Dorothy Stubinger, 32 nieces and nephews and countless other relatives, church and neighborhood friends.

Vernon led a remarkable life, He was born at home in Jefferson City Mo, the 6th of 12 children, in October 1926, where he grew up doing every aspect of farming and supporting his family through the Great Depression and WWII.  At 19 years old, he left the farm and was proud to serve in the US Army in Tokyo, Japan from 1946-7 as a military police in the Japanese War Crimes Trials after the conclusion of WWII.  He returned to Missouri where he was fortunate to work at the General Motors’ Chevrolet assembly plant in North St. Louis for 39 years till his retirement in 1988.  As a member of “The Greatest Generation,” he inspired all with his stories of hard work, dedication to family, church, and country, which he recalled with tremendous clarity.  He was a polite, humble man, who’s actions spoke louder than his words.

Vernon and Florence were lifetime, sustaining members of Berea Lutheran Church then Grace Lutheran Church in North St. Louis County Missouri, carrying out his Missouri Synod Lutheran heritage and faith.  He played no sports except cards.  He was self-educated through books and his natural curiosity for all people and things. His interests centered around his family, friends, church, neighborhood, and tending his home and vegetable gardens, while always being of service to others.  His goal was to visit all 50 United States, and after retirement enjoyed driving trips to his family in New England, as well as Alaska, the Caribbean, Panama, Greece, Scandinavia, Russia and a Grand Tour of Europe.

In 2008, Vernon was blessed to meet the acquaintance of Mrs. Wanda McCabe, a widow with whom he kept company, traveled, enjoyed Sunday games of Kings’ Corners, and helped one another in their advancing years.

Visitation and funeral services will be held on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Grace Lutheran Chapel starting at 9 a.m., with visitation in the church narthex between 9 and 11 a.m. His funeral, officiated by Pastor Nathan Ruback, will begin at 11 a.m., followed immediately by a luncheon by the Ladies of the church.  Following the luncheon, all are invited to Vernon’s commitment and military burial at Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens, 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue at St. Charles Rock Road, St. Louis, MO.  

Memorials may be made to the encouragement and continuance of Christian education for young lives through Grace Chapel Lutheran School, 10015 Lance Drive, Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO  63137. 

Aunt Cleo is with Jesus now

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Cleopha “Cleo” Freida-Marie Howard, 87, of Jefferson City, Missouri passed away on Sunday, October 2, 2022. She was born on March 15, 1935 in Schubert, Missouri, a daughter of the late Adolph and Theresa (Erhardt) Sommerer.

She was a 1953 graduate of Cole V R-I High School in Eugene. Cleo went on to attend Lincoln University. She worked for Capital City Telephone as an operator for over 30 years, earning her gold pin upon retirement. Cleo enjoyed growing flowers and tomatoes in her garden. She loved to sing and was a member of the Faith Lutheran church choir and the Sweet Adeline’s for many years. Most of all she loved her family and making memories with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She will be greatly missed.

Cleo is survived by her daughter, Julie Baker; siblings, Vernon Sommerer, Theresa Loyola Sommerer and Lloyd Sommerer (Jane); grandchildren, Scott Baker (Som), Shawn Baker (Jeromy Layman) and Sarah Jones (Ryan); great-grandchildren, Matthew, Adam and Jonathan Jones, Soloman, Samson and Silas Baker. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Greer Baker; siblings, Elizabeth Williams, Lillian Kuegule, Erhardt “Bud” Sommerer, Felix Sommerer, Marjorie Beck, Anna Beatrice Putnam, Mahlon Sommerer and Naomi Vetter; brothers-in-law, Justin Williams, Ted Kuegule, Edgar Beck, Fred Putnam and Louis Vetter; sisters-in-law, Alma Sommerer and Carol Sommerer.

Friends will be received on Friday, October 7, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Houser-Millard Funeral Directors. Funeral service will be on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church with a one-hour visitation beginning at 9:00 a.m. prior to service.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to Calvary Lutheran High School.

Uncle Louie is with Jesus now

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Most of you have heard by now that Uncle Louie passed away last Sunday, September 4, 2022. We will miss you, Uncle Louie.

Visitation will be from 5:00pm to 7:00pm tonight (Thursday, September 8th) at Trimble Funeral Home (3210 N 10 Mile Dr. in Jeff). The funeral service will be held tomorrow, Friday, September 9th at 10:00am at Immaculate Conception (1206 E. McCarty St.).

Louis Hugo Vetter

August 21, 1937 — September 4, 2022

Jefferson City, Missouri

Louis Hugo Vetter, 85, of Jefferson City, passed away Sunday, September 4, 2022, at Capital Region Medical Center surrounded by his family.

He was born August 21, 1937, in Jefferson City, the son of Francis and Anna (Schrimpf) Vetter.

He was united in marriage on June 9, 1962, in Jefferson City to Naomi Joan Sommerer who preceded him in death on June 9, 2022.

Louis was a 1955 graduate of St. Peter’s High School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Building Engineering with honors in 1960 from Lincoln University and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with honors in 1962 from the University of Missouri.

He served for over 33 years in the United States Army and Army Reserves, retiring as a Colonel.

Louis was the co-founder and co-owner of Central Missouri Professional Services, Inc., an engineering, surveying and soil testing company.  He was also co-founder and co-owner of CMPS Development Co., which developed numerous subdivisions in Jefferson City and Cole County, to include the design and construction of streets, storm water systems, sanitary sewer systems, and water supply and fire protection systems.  Louis was a State of Missouri retired registered Engineer, P.E. and Land Surveyor.  He was also a licensed electrician.    

He was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church where he served as a communion minister, member of the Holy Name Society, served on the Parish Council and volunteered to help on numerous work parties.

He served six years on the Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission, three years on the Jefferson City Parking and Traffic Committee and was past President of the East Side Business Association. 

He was a member of the American Legion, Reserve Officers Association, University of Missouri Alumni Association, Association of the United State Army and the National Riflemen Association.

Louis’s involvement with Helias Catholic High School included two, three-year terms on the Helias School Board where he served as Vice-President and President. In 2020, Louis was inducted into the Helias Hall of Fame.

His dedication to his family, his faith, and the betterment of his community is a shining example of how one person’s giving of time, talent and treasure can make a lasting impact on generations to follow.

He is survived by two daughters, Tracy Vetter (husband, Curtis Allen) and Tiffany Vetter (husband, Chris Petro) of Overland Park; four sons, Gregory Vetter (wife, Irene Kosturakis) of Houston, Philip Vetter of Jefferson City, Derrick Vetter (wife, Barbara Gaines) of Lohman, and Darren Vetter of Las Vegas; 5 grandchildren, Kaymen, Dalton, and Prescott Vetter, and Quintin and Karina Allen; three sisters, Carolyn (Tony) Bruemmer, Jefferson City; Joann (Jim) Penfold, New Bloomfield; and Sr. Cathy Vetter, St. Louis.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Naomi Vetter; his son Vincent Vetter; daughter-in-law Mary Beth Vetter; and a brother Ronald Vetter.

Visitation will be 5 – 7 p.m. Thursday, September 8, 2022, at Trimble Funeral Homes – Jefferson City, with a prayer service at 4:30 p.m.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Friday, September 9, 2022, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church with the Rev. Matthew Flatley officiating.

Burial with military honors will be held at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church or to the Louis H. Vetter Scholarship at Helias Catholic High School.

Heit’s Point 2022 After Action Report

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Well, another family reunion is in the bag. I’ll write a little bit about what I thought, and maybe you can add some comments as well. We’ll look back at this post next spring when we are setting stuff up for next year.

First of all, it was wonderful seeing you all again. We should definitely keep doing that. After that, in no particular order…

  1. I thought the group photo went reasonably well. But several of the people around me, myself included, were waiting for Christina to run to her position before we “really” smiled. It might be good for someone to remind us that that isn’t a thing anymore.
  2. Aunt Lolly counted 106 people. Did anyone else get a count?
  3. It seems to me that we are Lunch and Dinner about an hour after we said that we would on the schedule. No one mentioned it at the meeting, so I think maybe the times we actually ate in 2022 should be the times we plan to eat in 2023.
  4. Was the table layout okay at the Ascension Haus? Moving tables is the first thing I do when I get to Heit’s Point (well, I don’t actually do it, I find people to move them). If anyone wants to move them before I get there, that would be lovely too.
  5. There was a lot of cheese for lunch. I think that’s because about 3 of us thought, “I won’t sign up for anything. I’ll just bring down whatever is left on the list.” That was a good thought, but I think we know now that it isn’t so good in practice. I’ll sign up for something before the last day next year. You should too.
  6. Derek Sommerer talked about putting some family pictures together. He was, as I recall, thinking about older pictures. Each of us has some of those, but it would be nice to get them all together to share in someway. Derek, why don’t you chime in with how you see this working, and how we can help.
  7. I feel like maybe not everyone had a chance to update contact information and new family members in the Mauve Binder. If the Mauve Binder didn’t make its way around to you, and your contact information has changed, or you have new family members, let me know.

If there are any other notes for next year, please add them in the comments below.

Below are my recollection (and brief notes) of things we decided after church on Sunday:

  1. The Celebration of Life for Aunt Naomi will be Sunday, July 24th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at Capital Bluffs Event Center north of the river. It will be an open house for anyone to come at anytime
  2. Next year’s reunion will be from Friday, June 30 to Sunday, July 2.
  3. Last year we had decided to give $1500 to start off the donations for an outdoor kitchen at the Ascension Haus. Doug and Jim were going to be involved in the planning and perhaps constructions. This year we decided to fund that we would donate an additional $3500 to that project. Mark, from Heit’s Point said after the meeting that He really wanted Doug and Jim to be involved in the project to make sure the outdoor kitchen would be useful for us as well as for Heit’s Point in general. We also decided that we didn’t want Heit’s Point to spend all $5000 on the outdoor kitchen if they didn’t need that much money for the project, so they can spend any “excess” amount on other capital improvements. We discussed the need for separate electrical circuits for the outdoor kitchen. Aaron talked to Mark about this after the meeting, and Mark agreed that it would need seperate electrical service.
  4. A little over $1100 was raised by donations from the items that Aunt Naomi’s family brought to Heit’s Point from Grandma’s house. Thank you, Vetter Family. We included that money in the $5000 donation to Heit’s Point for the outdoor Kitchen. Some people are planning on making their donation over time, or didn’t have a way to donate at the time. If you are one of those people, you can contact me on the best way to do that.
  5. Sam & Rachel will get bricks for our Aunts and Uncles who have passed away.
  6. The Outdoor kitchen will have a plaque with something to the effect of “In memory of the departed grandchildren of Adolph and Theresa Sommerer”. The exact wording will be worked out by Sam & Rachel in conjunction with Heit’s Point.
  7. We will try to put together a work day at Heit’s Point for the Sommerer Family in the spring of 2023. We will use Thrivent Action Teams as part of the work day. Christina will coordinate with Heit’s Point on picking a day that will work. We know that we will pick a day that will not work for our whole family. That’s fine.
  8. Assigning dishwashers was a good idea. It kept the same three people from having to wash dishes after every meal. We talked about opening it up to more than 1st cousins, and I think we could open it up to more jobs as well. Most of us don’t have any idea what other people are doing to make sure that the Family Reunion runs well. We know what we do, but not what everyone else is doing. We could expand this idea and have a “Job Board” that has the dish washing and other jobs that people could sign up for. If you have thoughts about this, add them to the comments below.

Was there anything else from the meeting that I forgot?

Honey Creek 150 Year History Book

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Danny asked me to let everyone know that he would have some of these available at the family Reunion in, well, today. He actually sent me this last week, but I was in New Orleans, and either busy or drunk, depending on the time of day. The books are available for some suggested donation amount, or twice that, if you’re feeling generous, or drunk.