Funeral services set for Mississippi County farmer and army veteran Gerard Essner
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
SCOTT COUNTY, Mo., (KBSI) — Funeral arrangements have been announced for Gerard Essner, 62, a Mississippi County farmer who was killed Monday, Oct. 6.
Essner was a retired U.S. Army veteran and Sergeant First Class (E-7) who served 27 years in the Missouri Army National Guard, including a deployment to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004–05.
A lifelong member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, he served as parish council president, taught Sunday school for more than 30 years, and was active in the Knights of Columbus in Oran.
He was married to Carolyn (Scherer) Essner for 42 years. Together they built Gerard and Zach Essner Farms, where he farmed alongside his father and son.
Visitation will be held Sunday, Oct. 12, from 4 to 8 p.m. at St. Lawrence Parish Center in New Hamburg, Mo., with parish prayers at 4 p.m. followed by a Knights of Columbus service. A funeral Mass is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13, at 10 a.m. at St. Lawrence Catholic Church.
Essner was reported missing on Monday. When deputies responded, they discovered Essner deceased and another man, Nathan Peters, barricaded inside a nearby home.
