Mary M. Schuchmann, 101, of Oelwein, Iowa passed away on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at Oelwein Healthcare Center in Oelwein. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 AM on Saturday, August 8, 2026 at the Geilenfeld-Buehner Funeral Home in Oelwein with visitation from 9:30-11:00 AM on the same day. Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Oelwein.
Mary was born December 23, 1924 to Albert and Catherine (Beile) Recher in Oelwein. Albert came to the United States from Switzerland in 1914 and Catherine came from Germany in 1913. Albert came to Oelwein to work on the railroad and Catherine Beile came to Oelwein several years later.
Mary grew up on the West Side of Oelwein where most of the immigrant families lived. Mary was in the first kindergarten class that Oelwein had, and graduated from Oelwein High School in 1943, in the same class as her future husband Dale. After graduating, Dale joined the Navy and Mary went to Drake University for one year before taking a position in the Engine Lab of the Sinclair Oil Refinery in East Chicago to replace a man who went to the service. After
the war, Mary was married to Dale Schuchmann on August 8, 1946 in Oelwein. They lived in Des Moines from 1947 to 1951 while Dale attended the Drake University College of Pharmacy on the GI Bill. They then returned to Oelwein where Dale joined his father at Pfeiffer’s Drug store. It was later renamed Schuchmanns’ Pharmacy.
Mary was the homemaker for 4 children starting with Carol in 1949. From 1967 to 2020 she was the chief bookkeeper for Schuchmanns’ Pharmacy.
Some of her community activities included membership in the Oelwein Business and Professional Women; Fayette County Republicans; and the Genealogy Society. She also served on the Community Plaza Board and the Senior Volunteer Program at Wings Park School. She was also an active member of the Sarah Circle of Zion Lutheran Church and enjoyed the Oelwein Public Library Discussion Group.
Mary and Dale were long time collectors of antique furniture and depression glass. They were able to send all three of their daughters abroad as foreign exchange students in their last year of high school. Mary was finally able to go to Europe herself to meet relatives in Switzerland and France -but by that time all seven of her aunts in Switzerland had died and only one uncle was still alive. She was able to see the church that her father had helped build in Switzerland before he came to the United States.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Catherine Recher; her husband Dale on February 20,1990; her sister Elizabeth Kunkle and her husband Ray; her brother Albert Recher and his wife Evelyn; her brother in law Dr. John Schuchmann and his wife Joyce; and son-in-law Israel Gotay.
She is survived by daughters Carol (Tom) Lynch of Pocasset, Mass., Elise Gotay of Greenacres, FL, and Gretchen (Vijay) Kumar of Holmdel, NJ, and one and only son Kurt Schuchmann of Oelwein; also her cherished grandchildren: Sara Lynch,
Holly (Bill) Nickerson, and Sairam (Jane) Kumar; her great-grandchildren: Liam and Olivia Nickerson, and Leon and Michelle Kumar; along with several nieces and nephews, their families, and many friends.
In addition to the funeral services, a Celebration of Life is planned for next June so that more of her family and friends may join together to honor her remarkable life.
