Elaine Z. Schumacher

Elaine Marie Schumacher nee Zarda, 91, of Savoy passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on Wednesday evening, August 8th, 2024 at Autumn Fields Assisted Living in Savoy, Illinois.  

She was born on January 1st, 1933, in Ringle, Wisconsin, to Marie and Edward Zarda.

As a child, she loved music, and learned to play the ukulele, and attended the Carpenter School in Ringle. She then went on to study Journalism and Home Economics at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater, and was a member of Omega Mu Chi Sorority.  It was during this time that she met her future husband, Larry Ward Schumacher of Champaign, IL, and the two were married in November of 1954.

Moving to Champaign, Elaine focused on raising the family and running a household, participating in the PTA and as a Girl Scout leader, and eventually worked a supplemental job as a Ward Clerk at Mercy Hospital in Urbana. As her children left the nest, she joined her husband in the real estate business as an award winning agent with C21 Schumacher, Bannon, Taylor and Remax Realty Associates.

She had a passion for antiques and collecting, and liked to travel extensively with her husband – first, spending extensive summer vacations tent and popup-camper camping in national parks and campgrounds across the country, then broadening their scope internationally, going on cruises and tours to Great Britain, France, China, Hawaii, the Bahamas and Bermuda, among other exotic locales.  In the winters, they spent their time in Texas, then South Carolina, eventually retiring year-round to Huntley, IL, and finally Autumn Fields in Savoy, Illinois.  There, she made many new friends, and enjoyed Bingo, Puzzles, Crosswords, and the social activities of the community.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Larry W. Schumacher; her son, Charles W. Schumacher, and her sister, Joanne Aguilar. 

She is survived by her children, John Schumacher (Carol Stack), Champaign; Lisa Simpson (David), Rockville, MD; and William Schumacher (Paula), Bartlett, IL; by her Grandchildren, Laura Simpson (Chris), Montpelier, VT; Justin Simpson (Alex), Potomac, MD; Jack Schumacher (Jill), Annapolis, MD; Lauren Schumacher (Terry Torres), Framingham, MA; Kate Schumacher, Chicago, IL; Will Schumacher, Forest Park, IL; David Schumacher, Bartlett, IL; and Bennett Schumacher, Bartlett, IL; and by her Great-Grandchildren, Roderick Matheson, Evelyn Simpson, and Hunter Simpson.

She will be laid to rest in private services next to her husband and son in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Champaign.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Elaine Z. Schumacher, please visit our floral store.