Larry D. Schuler

Larry D. Schuler, 80, of Mason City, IA, left this earth to join his heavenly Father on Friday, December 30, 2016, while a patient at Mercy Medical Center – North Iowa. Funeral services will be held 10:30 AM on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 101 N. Hawkeye – Nora Springs, with Rev. Dave Werges, Deacon Elayne Werges, and Rev. Roy Ott officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM on Tuesday, January 3, 2017, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue – Mason City, and continue one hour prior to the church service. Interment will take place at Nora Springs Park Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Larry Schuler memorial fund in care of the family.

Larry David Schuler was born July 2, 1936, in Buffalo Center, IA, the son of Samuel and Josephine (Davis) Schuler. Larry graduated from Buffalo Center High School in 1954. He was united in marriage to Yvonne O’Keefe on August 22, 1958, in Buffalo Center. To this union three children were born: Julie Ann, Teri Lynn and Steven Larry.

While in high school he participated in football, basketball, track and baseball. After graduation he attended Morningside College for one year on a basketball scholarship. He then graduated from Waldorf College in the spring of 1956. In the fall of 1956, he attended Iowa State College and transferred to Iowa State Teachers College (UNI) the next year. He graduated from Iowa State Teachers College (UNI) in 1959, with a mathematics teaching degree. He accepted the mathematics teaching position in Nora Springs in 1959, and continued teaching there until his retirement in 1995. After retirement he did some long-term subbing in the Osage middle school, and the high schools in Clear Lake and at Newman Catholic School in Mason City.

During his teaching career he received a National Science Foundation scholarship for several years and attended those during the summer months. The first one was at the School of Mines and Metalurgy (University of Missouri at Rolla), where he attended for four summers and received his Masters Degree in 1967. Other summer institutes were at Drake, Iowa State, University of Iowa, and Portland State University in Portland, OR. Larry was also an adjunct instructor at NIACC for 23 years where he taught an algebra night class. His passion was teaching and visiting with former students. His second passion was hunting either with bow and arrow or black powder.
Larry was an active member of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Nora Springs. He served numerous positions on the church board over the years and taught Sunday School for several years.

Larry is survived by his wife of 58 years: Yvonne Schuler of Mason City; 2 daughters: Julie Larson of Frisco, TX, and Teri Salier and husband Greg of Osage, IA; 1 son: Steven Schuler and wife Sheila of New Llano, LA; 4 grandchildren: Jason Salier and wife Erin of Lisbon, IA, Justin Salier and wife Emily of Indianola, IA, Samantha Schuler McCoy of Cherokee, IA, and Alexandra Larson of Frisco; 2 great-granddaughters: Nora and Kylie; and 1 great-grandson: Jalen. He is also survived by 2 sisters: Mary Quade of Wenatchee, WA, and Georgia Brown and husband Rick of Ketchikan, AK; sister-in-law: Marilyn Schuler; brother-in-law: Vernon Kolpek; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; 3 sisters: Barbara Letcher and husband Merlyn, Betty Murra and husband Dick, and Stella Kolpek; brother: Peter Schuler and wife Jean; a brother in infancy: Sammy Jo; brother-in-law: Jim Quade; and son-in-law: Paul Larson.