Richard A. Gerdeman

Richard "Rich" A. Gerdeman, 83, of Delphos, passed away on Sunday morning, December 20, 2015, at Vancrest Healthcare Center, surrounded by his loving family. He was born March 6, 1932 in Van Wert County to the late Alfred and Clara (Reindel) Gerdeman. On May 15, 1954 he married Mary Lou (Hohlbein) Gerdeman. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Lou Gerdeman of Delphos; two sons, Rick (Sandy) Gerdeman of St. Marys and Larry Gerdeman of Delphos; a daughter, Lynn (David) McCray of Lima; two brothers, Herb (Clarann) Gerdeman and Don Gerdeman, both of Delphos; a sister, Lois (Ken) Blankemeyer of Delphos; a sister-in-law, Carlene Gerdeman of Delphos; a daughter-in-law, Linda Gerdeman of Lima; three grandchildren, Amy (Andrew) Messieha of Houston, TX, Abby Gerdeman of Raleigh, NC and Katie McCray of Columbus; one great-granddaughter, Adyson Messieha; and many many nieces and nephews. He was also preceded in death by two brothers, Elmer and Irvin Gerdeman. Richard was an Army veteran of the Korean Conflict and retired after 32 years from Ford Motor Company. He was valedictorian of the Delphos St. John's class of 1950 and continued to be a faithful member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus Delphos Council 1362, the St. Vincent DePaul Society and the VFW Post 3035. Richard loved to play cards and games with his granddaughters and enjoyed traveling with the Ford Retiree's Club. Richard was an avid Cleveland Indians and Notre Dame fan, and loved to garden. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, who was very proud of his family. He was the heart of the family and always brought a smile to everyone who knew him. He was a true gentleman and always put family first. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23, 2015 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, the Rev. George Mahas officiating. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2-8 p.m. on Tuesday at Weber Funeral Home, 1840 E. Fifth St., Delphos, where a Parish Wake Service will be held at 8:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John's Church or to a charity of the donor's choice. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Richard A. Gerdeman please visit our Sympathy Store.