Kurt William Schierbecker's Obituary
Kurt William Schierbecker, born May 14, 1951, to Bill and Lou Schierbecker, was the first of their three children: Kurt William, Cynthia Patricia, and Patrick Raymond.
They grew up in Jennings, Missouri, and Kurt spent much of his younger years at his grandparents' house in Summerfield, Illinois, where his love for nature blossomed.
His mother, Lou, would often find a bag of dirt in his suitcase after a stay in Summerfield because, to young Kurt, it was "the best dirt." Later in life, Kurt named his landscaping business Summerfield Landscaping in honor of his beloved times spent with his grandparents.
As life progressed, Kurt was drafted into the army. He became a paratrooper and was stationed in Alaska during the Vietnam War. Although not a fan of the military or war, those years in Alaska were special to him. He often spoke of his time there with great pride and developed a love for the wild Alaskan wilderness and its animals. While he found great thrill in jumping out of planes back then, we never could convince him to get on one again!
Following his time in the service, Kurt attended college classes at the University of Missouri, where he developed a passion for horticulture and drafting. His dog, Sunshine, was known to patiently wait for him outside his classes. He and Sunny were inseparable during those years.
Next came Jeni Schlup and her two young daughters, Emma and Roberta Power.
Jeni and Kurt met at Murry's, where Jeni was bartending. Their love blossomed quickly, and within a few months, they all moved into the old farmhouse with Kurt and Sunny.
Jeni, Emma, and Roberta adapted quickly to the rustic lifestyle and learned some valuable survival skills from Kurt during those years. Jeni and Kurt were married on September 18, 1988, at the Boonville Courthouse. It was the greatest joy when the girls learned that a new baby was on the way one spring, and better yet, it was a sister!
Katherine Anne was born to Kurt and Jeni on March 28, 1990. She didn't have a name for the first three days of her life until Kurt came home from work with a name he had chosen-one that Jeni had also thought of that same day. Katie went on to make her father very proud by becoming a valued nurse at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veteran's Hospital.
Kurt took great pride in the simple things in life and had a strong connection to the history of old St. Louis, stone, bricks native plants and nature. He loved to whistle, watch the birds, get his hands in the dirt, and to make use out of things that would otherwise be thrown away. Above all, he loved his family and his pets very, very much.
Thank you all for coming. Love, Jeni, Katie, Emma, and Roberta
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