Gerd Wilhelm Buttgen (Gerd Wilhelm Detlef Büttgen in Germany) passed away Wednesday, September 13, 2023 a day after entering hospice care at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, MO. A celebration of life picnic will be held for family and friends Saturday, September 23rd at the picnic pavilion at Woods Chapel United Methodist Church in Lee’s Summit, MO.

The come-and-go picnic celebration will begin at 1:00 pm. We’ll visit and tell stories and share a simple hot dog and potato salad lunch (a meal Gerd’s family shares every Christmas Eve and at many family gatherings). We’ll pause at 2pm for some remarks and then visit as long as the stories flow.

Gerd was born to Andrew and Maria Buttgen (deceased) January 3, 1942 in Berlin Germany while his father was a drafted soldier in the German army. Maria gave birth to him in a private clinic in Berlin.

 “My mother did tell me that my father just happened to be coming through Berlin the day after I was born,” Gerd wrote in an account of his life. “He looked her up only to find out she had given birth to me the day before. He did not see me again until he returned from the war in August 1945."

Gerd and his parents lived in Berlin until they came to live in America in December, 1953. He and his parents became naturalized American citizens shortly after emigrating via sponsorship by Mark and Marge Siegfried and settled into their family life in Independence, MO.  The family remained lifelong residents of Independence, as well as lifelong members of the Community of Christ Church (Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).

After graduating from William Chrisman High School in 1960, Gerd attended Graceland College in Lamoni, IA for two years, then Kansas City University which became the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting in 1965 and worked in the field of accounting at several businesses and organizations over the years.  In February of 1966 Gerd was drafted into the United States Army. His high school experience in Jr. ROTC enabled him to learn quickly and serve well. It was the tail end of the Vietnam Conflict and after basic training, Gerd’s unit was sent to Germany in August of 1966.  He had married Marnie Logan in May of that year and they lived their first two years of marriage in Germany during his service.

Gerd was discharged in February, 1968 at the rank of Private 2^nd Class and the couple moved back to Independence where they later welcomed the birth of their daughter Marcie in November 1969. They divorced in 1976 and Gerd married Jana Gadberry in 1978, gaining two step-sons, Mark and Chris Stinson.  In 1979, Gerd and Jana had a son, Michael. The couple dissolved the marriage in 2005.

Gerd served in many leadership roles in the Community of Christ Church, including being ordained to the offices of Priest (1963) and Elder (1973). He was a pastor and financial agent in more than one congregation in Independence. He had numerous friends in the Church both in the United States and in Germany, and enjoyed World Conference gatherings when he could reunite with those acquaintances from abroad.

Gerd lived his last 15+ years at the Heritage House Apartments on North Spring St. in Independence on the 7^th and later 8^th (top) floors, overlooking the backyard of his daughter Marcie and her family.  This was an incredible joy for him, as he got to watch four of his grandchildren grow and play almost daily and he was a regular fixture in their lives. As he grew older and relinquished driving, his apartment location allowed him to travel on the bus for his daily needs and Marcie was close at hand to help him with medical appointments and more.

Gerd enjoyed attending Woods Chapel United Methodist Church with Marcie from time to time and also supported the worship gatherings of the Community of Christ Church which meets at Heritage House. Over the course of many years, Gerd studied and ultimately wrote a study book on the Holy Spirit. His passions included writing that Holy Spirit study book, as well as writing a very detailed accounting of his life (in a notebook titled “The Life and Times of Gerd”). A hobby he acquired for several years was painting ceramic houses to create a large Christmas village and then a summer village—an activity he shared with his grandchildren, who looked forward to setting up the village each year, and painting for it year-round.

While living at Heritage House, he met and developed a beautiful relationship with his “Sugar Cookie,” Charlotte Davis, a resident of the building. They watched over and cared for each other as well as the most devoted married couples would, calling each other every morning and evening, and several times in between.  They spent their days in each other’s company and their love for each other was so evident.

When considering his life and influence on others, Gerd once wrote, “I gave blood on a regular basis and feel that maybe was the most significant contribution I have made to society.” He understood the power of giving blood to be a life-saving gift and regularly donated blood throughout his life until undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Gerd’s treatment was successful, but the cancer would make a recurrence in 2020.  He was in successful treatment from 2020 to the present when an unrelated metastatic colon cancer was discovered.  The colon cancer diagnosis was devastating news to his family and required surgery in the hopes that some further treatment would allow him to spend more time with them.  Just 12 days after the diagnosis, Gerd passed away and was released from all his pain and discomfort. If there is a silver lining to his passing, it is that he lived independently at Heritage House, overlooking Marcie and her family until his hospitalization and passing. Living independently would no longer have been possible and such a move would have been devasting to him.

Gerd’s family was his most prized blessing in his life. Marcie, Michael, Mark (and wife Amy), and Chris brought him such joy. And, he absolutely adored his grandchildren: Austin, Joshua, Zachary, and Jacob Gragg (Marcie’s sons); Katherine, Anna, and David (Michael’s children) and Benjamin (a grandson by Michael’s marriage); Fern and Ashleigh (step-son Mark and Amy’s children); and Kai (step-son Chris’s son). Great-granddaughter Delaney Gragg, age 2 1/2 (of Austin and Ali Gragg) had just begun to connect with him after a stint of “pandemic baby shyness” and Gerd was so happy to receive her hugs, kisses, and “doctoring” at the hospital.

In the book he wrote about his life, he worried that he didn’t make an impact on others, but his family would tell you he lived a life full of love and joy and that there are so many people whose lives are better for having known him. He will be missed and remembered in our hearts always.