Earl A. Schwerman

Earl August Schwerman, Jr., passed away at Madonna Towers in Rochester, MN on Thursday, August 24, 2017. Earl was born on April 11, 1933, to Rev. Earl O. and Ruth Schwerman in Bagley, MN. He moved to Rochester where he attended the Rochester Lutheran School and Rochester High Schools. He attended the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy and graduated June of 1955. While in college, he married Donna Mae Strehlow on November 5, 1953. Earl was a Captain in the Army Medical Service Corps and was stationed at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas in 1956. He was honorably discharged from the Army in February of 1965. Earl began his career at Rochester Methodist Hospital Pharmacy the summer of 1956 and retired in June of 1994. During his time at Rochester Methodist Hospital, Earl was active in helping create the cardiac resuscitation team, helped in the development of portable IV controller-monitor, and was instrumental in starting mass casualty responses both locally and for the State of Minnesota and was appointed to work with the Attorney General of the United States on the United States Health Advisory Unit in 1967. Earl was a member of the Minnesota Society of Hospital Pharmacists, served as President of the MSHP and received the Hallie Bruce Memorial Lecture award for his contribution to hospital pharmacy. Earl was very active in the church his father started Redeemer Lutheran Church where he served as the organist and choir director for over forty years, helped start the Couples Club and was co-founder of the American Guild of Organists, Southern Minnesota chapter and was elected Dean. He had such a passion for church music, especially choir and organ music. He started the annual Music Service which continues to this day. Earl was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Earl O. Schwerman and Ruth Schwerman, a brother who passed away at birth, his wife, Donna Mae Schwerman, his grandson, Ketan Schwerman and his son-in-law, Michael Cummings. He is survived by his four daughters, Debbie Schwerman, Tammy (Glenn) Sorenson, Lori Schwerman, Jamie (Michael) Cummings; his sister Mrs. Julia (Rev. John) Rieck and three grandchildren; Hunter Sorenson, Jennifer Cummings, and Connor Cummings. We want to thank the staff at Madonna Towers Skilled Nursing Unit for the excellent care dad received. He was truly blessed to have such wonderful staff to care for him. Thank you for the compassion and dignity that you gave him and his family upon his death. Once again, the family wants to thank Mayo Hospice for the great care he received, even though it was for only such a short period of time. It was so comforting to have people we have gotten to know there to help us through the beginning of our grief process. We will always remember the day you honored him for being a vet. He thoroughly enjoyed all the attention and gifts he received. Watching him wave the American flag and direct the cellist will always be a grand remembrance of that ceremony. As your children, we want to thank you for sharing your love for traveling with us, as he and Donna traveled extensively to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii and numerous other islands. You had the gift of teaching us about life and the world around us. For that we are eternally grateful. We will always remember your saying, Im not sleeping, Im just resting. There will be a combined funeral service for Earl and his grandson, Ketan, at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 9, 2017 at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 869 7th Ave. SE, Rochester. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. There will be a graveside service for Earl, Donna and Ketan at Grandview Memorial Gardens following the service at the church. Memorials can be given to Redeemer Lutheran Church directed to the music fund. Arrangements entrusted to Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes 5421 Royal Place NW Rochester, MN www.ranfranzandvinefh.com