Gary Gonnerman, a pastor, died February 7. He was 83.
Gary attended Omaha Baptist Bible College from 1960 to 1964. He planned to take over his family’s farm in Dysart, Iowa. But soon after graduating, he realized the farm was not where God wanted him. Feeling called to full-time pastoral ministry, he pastored a small church in Burlington, Iowa, for four or five months. Then he returned to OBBC to obtain his BA in theology and Bible with a minor in Christian education. He graduated in 1967.
On June 8, 1968, Gary married Sheryl Gilbert of Loup City, Nebraska. Born to this union were four children, Becky, Rachel, Randy, and Richard, along with four more children who went to be with the Lord before birth.
On August 30, 2007, Sheryl went Home to be with the Lord after a battle with cancer. God was good and gave Gary another helpmeet, Marguerite Muzzey. They married on April 17, 2010. Together they continued ministering for the Lord.
Gary’s life centered around sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. He was pastor of Clear Lake (Iowa) Regular Baptist Church (1968–1975), Mount Ayr (Iowa) Regular Baptist Church (1975–1981), St. Ansgar (Iowa) Baptist Church (1984–2013), and First Baptist Church, Osage, Iowa (2016–2023).
He loved building a relationship with each person he came in contact with, both in the church and in the community. Leading Bible studies in nursing homes, having coffee with the locals, and attending the schools’ football games gave him even more opportunities to share the gospel. He also delighted in working with children through the bus ministry in Clear Lake, teaching preschoolers during 25 summers at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp, and ministering to children in Vacation Bible School.
On Easter 2023 Gary preached his final sermon. In October he moved to a nursing home in Conrad, Iowa, where he continued to be a blessing to each resident and staff member who cared for him. He made sure all of them knew that he had trusted Jesus as his Savior and that he was ready to meet Jesus face-to-face.
Gary is survived by his wife, Marguerite; four children, Becky Huang (Jesse), Rachel Hershey (Roy), Randal Gonnerman (Becky), and Richard Gonnerman; 21 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
