Red Eversgerd

Red Eversgerd 87, passed away after a short illness on December 22, 2019. He was born on August 16, 1932 in Germantown, Illinois. He was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Marilyn (Cerny) and his son Anthony, and his Sisters Veronica Heap, Johanna Shaefer, Helen Schmidt, Bertha Thuenemann, Lillian Driemeyer; Brothers Jerome, Arnold, Aloys, Vincent, Vergilius, Floyd, Henry, Gregory and Raymond Eversgerd.

He is survived by two daughters: Cynthia “Cindy” Owings (Terry) and Larisa Dotson (Bill); a Daughter in-law Cindy Eversgerd; 5 grandchildren: Dawn Selke (Brett), Amber Havens, Renae Love (James), Nolan Gardner, Alex Gardner; 10 grandchildren, Sister in-law Cleo Eversgerd, Brother in-law Alfred D. (Don) Cerny (wife Norma) and Sister in-law Mildred (Millie) Lenz, and many nieces and nephews.

He was a veteran of the US Army; serving during the Korean conflict era as a gunnery instructor. He married the love of his life, Marilyn on November 29, 1952 while serving in the Army. As they started their family, he worked as a barber for additional income.

After the Army, Red got into sales where he thrived for the rest of his working life. He operated his own companies: Froehde Mobile Homes, Red's Place Tavern, Niagara of Indianapolis, Anything Avon and Redilyn Inc. businesses over his long lifetime. He also managed the development and operation of the Libertytree Camp and RV park. Red was a natural salesman who loved to talk to people and never met a stranger. He always had a positive and happy outlook on life. Every day was a beautiful day to Red. All who he met were good people and he loved to learn from their life stories. He was an avid winemaker. Over the years, he produced many barrels of wine. Generous as he was, he shared his wine freely.

Red was a man of deep faith. He grew up in the Catholic church and considered the priesthood as a young adult. Throughout his life, he regularly attended church, supported the church with generous donations and volunteered in support of church charities. He was a member of the Knight's of Columbus, and held several positions in that organization.

Red was born into a farming family and had a strong work ethic and love for the land. The family farm was initially without electricity or power equipment. So, he and all of his siblings learned hard work from an early age. As a teen, he dug wells and graves for extra money. In his adult years, he built a beautiful home through a lot of his own hard work and continued to maintained their 12 acre property (with a large garden) entirely by himself, . Until his final days, he maintained a garden and fed the birds from his porch at the assisted living facility where he lived after 2014.

He and his wife traveled extensively in their RV for many years. He loved to feed gulls on any beach along the way. After her passing, he enjoyed driving to Texas to spend time in the cooler months with his daughter Cindy and her husband. As his health deteriorated, his daughter Larisa was ever present in supporting him and making sure that his every need was met.

A funeral mass will be celebrated Saturday, January 18, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Lawrence Catholic Church., followed by a meal. Internment will be held at Washington Park East Cemetery in a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Red's name to Indiana Organ Procurement Organization. IOPO promotes organ donation and awareness in Indiana. This is the favorite non-profit charity of the family, after Marilyn received a kidney transplant in 1998.