Floyd Sommer

Floyd Fred Sommer, son of the late Fred C. Sommer and Hattie Pohlmeyer Sommer, died Wednesday, August 15, 2007. He was born on January 16, 1928, and was baptized by the Rev. C.J. Appel on February 19, 1928, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, William Penn. He was confirmed at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Sandy Hill on May 26, 1940, by the Rev. Rudolph Becker. He was united in marriage to Marilyn Niebuhr on December 26, 1948, and was blessed with a son and daughter. He remained an active member at St. Matthew, serving as congregational chairman and as area chairman of the former American Lutheran Church Brotherhood. He also was a member of the Sons of Hermann and Elks Club. He was a member of the Finance Committee for Farmers Mutual Aid Insurance Company for many years and also served as a county committee member for the ASCS. He graduated from Brenham High School in 1946. After playing in the Texas North/South All Star football game in Corpus Christi, he accepted a scholarship to Rice University where he played football and baseball. Due to injuries which ended his participation in sports, he returned to Brenham and graduated from Blinn College in 1949. Following graduation, he returned to the family farm at the Bluff, growing cotton and operating the Sommer Cotton Gin. It was the last operating cotton gin in Washington County, closing in 1982. He then turned to raising cattle and was a successful rancher. An outstanding athlete, he was inducted into the Brenham High School Football Hall of Honor in 2001, an honor he was most proud of. He is survived by the following: his faithful and caring wife of 58 years, Marilyn Sommer; son, Stanley Sommer and wife Ann; daughter, Frances Scheffer and husband Billy; grandchildren, Stephen Scheffer and wife Deanna, Sarah Scheffer, Samuel Sommer, and Maria Sommer; sister, Ethel Kolkhorst; brother-in-law, James Niebuhr and wife Mary Lois; nieces and nephews, Dottie Schaer and husband John Jr., Mike Niebuhr, Marilisa Corl and husband Tanner, Lanie Rygaard and husband Ricky, and Eric Niebuhr. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Dorothy Sommer; infant brother, Fred Sommer, Jr.; brother-in-law, Raymond Kolkhorst; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Albert Shine and Rosella Niebuhr; and nephew, Rob Niebuhr. Funeral services will be held at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Sandy Hill, on Saturday, August 18 at 10:00 a.m. with Pastor Jim Abbott officiating. Burial will follow at the Sommer Family Cemetery on the Bluff. Visitation with family and friends will be held today Friday, Aug. 17 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Chapel. His grandchildren and nephews will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are Richard Powell, Raymond Kettler, Willie Kankel, Daniel Cendalski, Mercer Rogers, Pierre Roberts, Jake Woods, Fred Bredthauer, Walter Holle, Jim Bucek and Howard Kochwelp. Memorials may be given to St. Matthew Lutheran Church or the Parkinson s Disease Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main St., Brenham. For more information, visit the Web site at www.memorialoakschapel.com