Helen Joan Gerke

Helen Joan (Bredemeyer) Gerke, 89 years old, passed away peacefully at her residence in Lutheran Life Villages, Fort Wayne, IN on Sept. 13, 2021.  Helen was born on September 2, 1932 in Fort Wayne the daughter of Ferdinand and Hermina (Kruger) Bredemeyer.  She and graduated from Central High School in Fort Wayne and married Paul Gerke on September 5, 1953; he preceded her in death on October 23, 2014.

Helen was a lifelong resident of Ligonier, IN -A town she loved and faithfully served as the Clerk-Treasurer for 16 years. As a member of the Ligonier community, prior to serving as clerk-treasure, she was the Human Resource Director at Ligonier Rubber Co., later named Bluffton Rubber Co. She also served the community as the study hall monitor at Ligonier/West Noble High School.

Serving the community in many other capacities was also a staple of her life. She was a member of the West Noble Study Club, American Legion Women’s Auxiliary and a Volunteer at the Radio Museum well past her retirement years. Helen was also a Junior Achievement volunteer and a member of the Ligonier Beatification Committee and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. She was a voracious reader and believed in giving every child a chance and opportunity to learn.  As an adult volunteer reader at West Noble Primary the kids lovingly called her “Gma G” where she was respected for her love & kindness bestowed on each child.

Helen was a faithful servant having been a founding member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Ligonier and presently as a member of Shepherd by the Lakes Lutheran Church in Syracuse, IN. Her faith sustained her throughout her life and until the end. Her joy was found in teaching Sunday school at Trinity for many, many years and in singing the loudest along with the children at all of the services.

She was an avid West Noble Charger fan and Indiana University fan. She did not miss an IU football or basketball game often cheering long beyond the final whistle. She was fiercely loyal throughout the years, no matter what kind of season IU had!

By far, though, her greatest joy and pride came from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved attending the musical and sporting events, clapping and cheering as hard as she could. Her eight little great-grandchildren made her smile and she played bingo just to gather items to give them when they visited.

She leaves behind a large loving family and she will forever be in our hearts.  She always maintained the highest of integrity and positivity and lived her life by example.  As a principled woman, you always knew where Helen stood on any subject as she lived her life with conviction, yet held malice towards no one. She made us proud every day and we knew she loved us beyond measure.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Gerke, of sixty years; two brothers, Fred and William Bredemeyer; and her parents.

Surviving are her children, Vicki (Mark) Ober of Syracuse, IN, Lori (Scott) Wilkins of Alexandria, VA, Tracey (Mike) Noe of Syracuse, IN and David (Candace) Gerke of Middlebury, IN; seven grandchildren, Nathaniel Ober, Megan (Cary) Watson, Ashley (Seth) Garrison, Whitney (Chris) Dixon, Andrea Gerke, Dirk Wilkins, and Nicholas (Paige) Noe; eight great-grandchildren; a sister Donna Manning of Fort Wayne, IN; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held in Helen’s honor at 11am on Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at Shepherd By The Lakes Lutheran Church, 7449 E 1000 N, Syracuse, IN 46567. Pastor Jerry Winegarden will officiate. Burial will follow at Concordia Lutheran Cemetery in Fort Wayne.

Family and friends will be received from 2-4 & 6-8 pm on Monday, September 20, 2021 at Yeager Funeral Home, 1589 Lincolnway South, Ligonier, IN 46767 and also one hour prior to the funeral service at the church on Tuesday.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Lutheran Life Villages, 6723 Anthony Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46816.  Her care team did the best they could throughout all of 2020 when we couldn’t be there to see her.