Dorothy Schumacher, wife of Fred Schumacher, former pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, passed peacefully into the hands of her Lord on Thursday, December 31, 2009. One could hardly imagine a kinder, more loving, or more sacrificing wife, mother, attendant to her friends, visitor to the sick and needy, and servant to her Lord. Vibrant and fun-loving until only a few weeks ago, she succumbed to a recently-acquired infection that her body could not defeat. Her family and friends will miss her dearly. Born and baptized as Dorothy Lynn Nord in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Dorothys mother, LuElla Nord, worked to support Dorothy and her brother, Dick, during the depression years, after Dorothys father died from tuberculosis at an early age. From modest beginnings, she worked as, among other jobs, a part-time telegraph operator for the railroad to help pay for college. She attended Concordia High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, enjoying English and drama. She often played the lead role, befitting her energy and zeal to be at the center of everything social and fun. She met Fred Schumacher, who was attending the co-located Concordia Pre-Theological High School. They married after college in 1948, and shortly thereafter moved to Wood River, Nebraska, where Fred started his career in a rural farming community and Dorothy applied her life energy, bringing out the love of all the parishioners in church social activities. She had her first child, Becky, in Nebraska. Fred and Dorothy moved to Oklahoma in 1953, serving a Lutheran Church in Broken Arrow, where they had their next 2 boys, Mike and Tim. They moved to Oklahoma City in 1955 to begin Messiah Lutheran Church, meeting first in a theater downtown as the church was built. She had her fourth child, Mary, in OKC. She was a full-time mother to her children when they were young and in school, but took up teaching again as an English teacher at Putnam City High School from 1970 to 1992, where she was a popular mentor to thousands of students. At Messiah Lutheran Church, she was an important partner to her husband, Fred, blending in her love and joy through many venuessingles groups, couples groups, mid-week and vacation bible school. Over several decades of service to the church, her family and friends witnessed Dorothy making thousands of personal visits to church members, teaching Sunday school classes, drawing and sewing pictures and banners for church mailings and events, organizing and producing Messiahs Living Christmas Story, a nativity show featuring real people and animals. Behind many sermons Fred preached, she found and contributed the illustrations and stories which characterized his approachable preaching style. Together with the members of Messiah, they grew a small congregation into one of Oklahomas largest Lutheran churches with more than 600 members. Under the current pastorship of Rev. Mark Muenchow, Dorothy has continued to teach a Bible class well after Freds retirement in 1994, and they have continued to make calls on many members including the sick and those in need until only weeks ago when Dorothy fell ill. Dorothys specialness flowed from her love of life and living it fully. Beyond teaching literature, Dorothy found special ways to bond with and teach values to her students in high school, and has been loved and will be remembered by many of them. From Dorothys perspective, no bible class was so serious that it could not begin with a few good jokes, which Dorothy collected, and told and laughed at harder than anyone. Dorothy celebrated and was a personal testament to the goodness and kindness of people, the power of faith, and the virtue and rewards of sacrifice. She was a good woman who brought out the best in others. She met and loved people where they were in life with no judgment or advice. Dorothy lived this Bible verse from Matthew: Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail" And the King will say, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me! Dorothy took care of and loved all those whose lives she touched. Fred and Dorothy have loved each other and worked together in a close and loving marriage that lasted 61 years. With Dorothys gregarious nature, they continued to meet with friends and acquaintances for lunch or dinner, often with Dorothys joke collection in hand, and to make calls on friends and people in need. In recent years, Dorothy has given extra energy and attention to Fred, never letting the challenges of old age and waning health stop them from living life fully, and in the company of friends. She was warmly loved by many people when God called Dorothy to his side. Following her death, Fred, who studied Latin and Greek at the seminary, wrote the following notation on his calendar on the date of her deathDoro Thea, which he explained, means gift (Doro) of God (theos)the same words he had spoken to her while holding her hand in her last hours. Her four children, all of whom now reside in west coast states, adored her and were at her side when she left us. The family expresses its appreciation to all the kindness shown already by Messiah Lutheran Church members and Dorothys many friends. There will be a Celebration of Dorothys Life at Messiah Lutheran Church at 3600 N.W. Expressway on Saturday, January 9th at 1pm, and a reception immediately following in Schumacher Hall. Visitation will be Sunday, Jan. 3, from 12-9pm and Monday, Jan. 4, from 9am-9pm at Mercer-Adams Funeral Service, with the family present to receive quests from 4-6pm both days. People who feel touched by Dorothy are welcome at either, or both. The family requests no flowers or gifts, and suggests that what Dorothy would appreciate most is a simple resolve to give some of your time and energy to a person in need, or to show kindness to anyone.