Bob CollinsThanks to NewsCut reader Nick Pladson, we have yet another entry in our “The Art of the Obituary” collection, in which people who write an obituary depart from the standard template, and give us a better glimpse of a life.
In this case it’s Evan Vincent Schumacher of Wahpeton, N.D., who died on Sunday. He was just four years old.
His obituary appears in the Fargo Forum.
Evan Vincent Schumacher, 4, Wahpeton, ND, passed away Sunday, February 8, 2015, at Sanford-Children’s Hospital, Fargo, ND. The Funeral Mass will be Friday, 11:00 am, at St. John’s Catholic Church, Wahpeton. Visitation will be Thursday, from 5 PM to 7 PM, with a 7 PM Prayer Vigil, at St. John’s Catholic Church. There will also be visitation one hour before the service on Friday. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery, Wahpeton. Arrangements have been entrusted with Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, Wahpeton. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to “Evan’s Support” at any Wells Fargo Bank. To make all services a place that Evan would want to be at, the family is requesting all in attendance to either be geared up for a Bison Game Day or a night at the races. Other similar causal clothing would be fine, but please no dress clothes.
The world was blessed on October 28, 2010 when Evan Vincent Schumacher entered the world with what seemed like just a cry to the untrained ear, but if you turned your head to the south, you could hear trumpets sounding. This remarkable child was born to the devastatingly beautiful Melissa Schumacher (Herding) and the tolerable-looking Stuart Schumacher.
Everything about Evan was big from his spirit to his entire body, but when you saw his Grandpa Wayne Schumacher, you instantly understood where his large head came from. The origin of his large hands and feet are debatable, but his slight widow’s peak, which made his father look like he was balding in the seventh grade, came from his Grandma Lou Anne Schumacher’s side. Evan’s cheeks were almost always rosy and there is no doubt that they came from his late Grandpa Vincent Herding who would have been so loved by Evan that it was only fitting for them to share a name. As for his loud voice and ability to talk over people, though sometimes blamed on his dad, has been researched and the facts are in: This, indeed, comes from his Grandma Denise Herding’s side.
Evan, being a master of coercion, convinced his parents that a little brother was needed in 2013, just to be able to learn from his awesomeness. This is how Andrew Wayne Schumacher came into the picture. Evan loved being a big brother and watched over the little one as he grew. Even if his brother wanted a toy, Evan would sometimes take it away from Andrew, but only to protect the child, not cause he wasn’t good with sharing.
Although his dad was always fond of woodworking, Evan preferred to get greasy and dirty with his Uncle Rich Truesdell while he worked on his racecar. He loved watching his uncle race and would often sit with his Aunt Becci Truesdell (Herding) while she taped the races. As for his cousin, Shea Truesdell, Evan knew that he was special and loved to wrestle around with him. When Evan was younger, his signature move was to sit on Shea’s face. Evan loved going to the monster truck shows with the three of them and would talk without end to his parents about it.
At an early age, Evan was a fine judge of the picture shows and would take his Aunt Amanda Amundson (Schumacher) to them, just so he could explain them to her. This same aunt would take him to his Uncle Brent Amundson’s store so that he could critique Brent’s work and talk Bison football. Evan loved Bison football, and he could watch each game on a continuous loop. In his earlier years, he would sit with his dad and Grandpa Wayne right behind the Bison bench and frequently bless the TV audience with his infectious smile. His favorite part was the intro and watching his favorite player, John Crockett, whose jersey Evan wore to every game, do his warm-up routine. Being the biggest of Bison fans, Evan made two trips to Frisco, and left his mom and dad with so many precious memories.
Evan was always willing to help, whether it was with his mom baking cookies, or his dad outside in the garage. Recently, he started mastering the Art of LEGO, and made some truly amazing pieces which his dad can Kragle and treasure forever. Evan loved to read and just play, he had a non-stop motor, and “it’s 11 o’clock” meant little to him. He was electric, and when you were around him you were electric, too.
But sadly for his family, his love was too great to stay here on earth. Evan fought a heroic battle, but he was needed elsewhere and passed away on February 8, 2015 in the arms of his mother, brother, and father. Evan would like to thank the first responders and the doctors and nurses at St. Francis and Sanford Children’s Hospital. Your dedication and loving nature when you do your jobs made you heroes to Evan and his parents.
Evan never liked to see anyone else hurt, so in his honor, his parents are starting “Evan’s Support,” a charity to provide comfortable and sleep-able furniture for family waiting rooms. Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo Branch, and would serve as a way to honor an extraordinary kid. His parents thank you from the very bottoms of their hearts for all of your love and support.
With a thousand tears and memories shared, Evan’s time on earth is over, but his story is far from finished.
