Eugene "Gene" Anthony Schumacher, 85, of Brandon, SD, formerly of Aberdeen, SD, died at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD, after a brief stay. Family and supportive staff were with him on Wednesday evening, June 2, 2026, as he returned to God.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026, at St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Burial will follow Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.

A time for fellowship and luncheon will follow burial at Schriver’s Memorial Fellowship Center.

Visitation will be 3-5 p.m., Sunday, June 14, at Schriver’s Memorial Chapel with a liturgical wake and rosary at 5:00 p.m. There will be a time for fellowship following the wake at Schriver’s Memorial Fellowship Center, with cherry pie served, per Gene’s request.

Visitation continues one hour before Mass.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is honored to serve the Schumacher family. Friends and family may sign the online guestbook at www.schriversmemorial.com. Services will be recorded and posted on Schriver’s Facebook following the service.

Eugene “Gene” Schumacher was born April 6, 1941, in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Michael and Mary (Malsom) Schumacher, and was the second-oldest of nine children. From a young age, Gene worked alongside his father in the family-owned sheet-metal and furnace-installation business. Following his father's untimely death in a vehicle accident near Mobridge in 1958 while returning from a job site, Gene continued to carry the values of hard work and dedication that shaped his life.

Gene was baptized, confirmed, and married at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Aberdeen. Gene gave detailed instructions for his burial in his childhood parish, where he served Mass in his youth.

He graduated from Aberdeen Central High School and enlisted in the United States Air Force soon after. On October 6, 1962, he married his high school sweetheart, Sharon Marie Torigian. Gene proudly served his country from 1961 to 1965 during the Vietnam Era with the Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. During his military service, he and Sharon welcomed their first son, Scott, while living in Santa Maria, California. Following his honorable discharge, they returned to Aberdeen, where their second son, Christopher, was born.

Gene was employed by Northwestern Public Service (NWPS), where he worked his way up to Regional Manager before retiring in 1996. Retirement allowed him to embrace some of his greatest joys: spending time with his grandchildren and serving in leadership roles with the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sharon often accompanied Gene on his Legion travels, which took them throughout the United States, including trips to Hawaii and Washington, D.C.

Gene enjoyed hunting, fishing, family reunions, and traveling. Some of his favorite adventures included a retirement trip to Alaska with Sharon, fishing excursions to Canada, big game hunting in Wyoming, and reunions in Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, and the Black Hills. Above all, Gene devoted the last 13 years of his life to lovingly serving as a caregiver for his dear Sharon.

Grateful for having shared Gene's life are his son, Scott (Sheila) Schumacher; grandchildren, Elizabeth (Tristan) Love and Peter Schumacher; daughter-in-law, Carol (Welbig) Schumacher; granddaughters, Erica (Aaron) Gaspar and Carley (Taylor) Schulte; great-grandchildren, Briggs and Lakyn Gaspar and Sophia Schulte; brothers, Bob (Sherry) Schumacher and Ken (Susan) Schumacher; sisters, Janet (Gary) Roth, Mary Jean (Dennis) Ladner, and Carol Schumacher; brothers- and sisters-in-law, David McCauley, Vicki Schumacher, Jim Engelhart, Bob (Susan) Torigian, and Joel (Dianne) Torigian; as well as many nieces, nephews, neighbors, and friends.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Michael and Mary Schumacher; his son, Christopher Schumacher; brother, Rick Schumacher; sisters, Pat McCauley and Phyllis Walth; and brothers and sisters-in-law, Frank Walth and Gloria Engelhart.