Esther M. Schiermeyer

Esther M. Schiermeyer, 91, of Silvis, passed away Tuesday October 31, 2023, at Genesis Medical Center Illini Campus.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, November 9, 2023, at Mary Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Orion.  Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Ltd., Moline.  Inurnment will be at Rock Island National Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Esther was born on September 5, 1932, in Crete, Nebraska, the daughter of Peter Clarence and Helen Bertha (Strelow) Smith. She married Barton K. Schiermeyer on July 9, 1954, in Beatrice, Nebraska. Esther was a devoted homemaker and a member of Mary Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Orion, where she was a member of the Altar and Rosary Society and taught catechism.

Weekends with the grandchildren were a special time for Esther. She would enjoy watching the grandkids gobble up her delicious cinnamon rolls who would try to talk the adults out of their share of the rolls. If Esther wasn't in the kitchen, you would probably find her with a grandchild on her lap. Another kitchen specialty was her fried chicken which after many, many tries her daughters have not been able to duplicate. At the end of the day, after the kitchen was cleared and the children content, she enjoyed relaxing on the patio.

Esther enjoyed visiting Ireland and kissing the Blarney Stone, and also Mexico and drinking giant margaritas. She joined her husband in Hawaii while he served out his enlistment in the Navy. They enjoyed many road trips including northern Canada and a month-long tour of the western United States which included Yellowstone, the Tetons, the Snake River Valley, Bodega Bay, San Francisco, the Redwoods, Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, the four corners, and back to Orion via Denver. Another road trip was taken to the northeast United States where she enjoyed the fall colors in full bloom and returning home via the Blue Ridge Highway and Smoky Mountain National Park.

Reunions were fun times whether it be a Smith reunion, Schiermeyer reunion, a Fairbury High School class of 1949 reunion or a Blue Springs High School class of 1951 reunion.

Her travels included many, many short trips to high school sporting events and musical events and high school and college graduations. Go Chargers Go was her favorite cheer and Pomp and Circumstance became her favorite song. She said the best invention ever made was the portable padded bleacher seat. We would be remiss if we didn't mention her love of the Chicago Cubs and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Survivors include husband, Barton; daughters, Stephanie Garrity of Moline, Amy Zabel of Aurora, Kim (Jim) Zidek of Naperville, Nanlee (Philip) Reddy of Moline; grandchildren, Joe (Katie) Garrity, Ellen Garrity, Katie Lynn Garrity, Jessica (Nick) Obis, Erik (Kelly) Gandy, Emily Zabel, Adam Zabel, Kyle (Senya) Zidek, Casey (Allie) Zidek, Alexandra (Erik) Johnson, Madeline Reddy, Joe Reddy, Hannah (Bobby) Aamodt, Kaye Byers; great grandchildren, Teddy, Molly, Sophia and Johnny Garrity, Benjamin & Zachary Gandy; brother, Leo (Sally) Smith of Pennsylvania; sister-in-law, Betty Smith of Nebraska.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Helen; brothers, Clarence, Martin, Robert, William and Lester “Twin Brother” Smith; and sisters, Helen Smith and Millie Kreuzberg.

Memories may be shared online by visiting esterdahl.com.