Peter Schumacher
West Des Moines

Dr. Peter F. Schumacher, 80, of Le Mars and West Des Moines died Sunday, November 21, 2004 at home in West Des Moines of congestive heart failure. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 a.m. today, November 27, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1627 Grand Avenue, West Des Moines. Visitation will be at the church from 10 a.m. today until the time of the funeral. Burial will be 3 p.m. at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Casey, Iowa.

Peter was born January 2, 1924 in Alton, IA, to Mary and Nic Schumacher. While growing up, he and his four brothers spent many hours in his father's blacksmith shop. He graduated from St. Mary's Academy in Alton and attended Drake University before and after his service in the Army from 1943 to 1946. He served in communications with the 69th Infantry Division in Europe.

After the war, Peter worked for the Iowa State Police Radio. He married Eleanor Thompson at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Casey, IA, on June 2, 1949. He graduated from the Northern Illinois College of Optometry in 1954 and practiced for two years in Des Moines. In 1956, he moved to Le Mars, where he practiced optometry until retiring in 1989. He was a 50-year member of the Iowa Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. He belonged to the Knights of Columbus and Wasmer Post #240 of the American Legion in Le Mars and also had belonged to the Lions and Elks clubs.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor; daughter, Mary Alice Schumacher (Ron Ostrow) of Minneapolis, MN; son, James (Somwang) Schumacher of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; granddaughters, Supinya (James) Conder of Des Moines and Diana Schumacher of Kuala Lumpur; great- granddaughter, Niki Conder of Des Moines; brother, Father Tony Schumacher of Madison, WI; sisters-in-law, Florence Schumacher of Washington, IA, and Josephine Miller of Chesterton, IN; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Madeline; and brothers, George, Leo and Oscar.

In lieu of flowers, it is Peter's request that memorial contributions be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in West Des Moines or St. Joseph Catholic Church in Le Mars for charitable distribution.