Auctioneer more than father, friend
Chris Strunk nknews@thekansan.com
Newton Kansan
MOUNDRIDGE -- He was a successful
businessman. He was the friend of many. He was a knowledgeable
auctioneer.
But more importantly, he was a loving
husband, father and grandfather.
Floyd Gehring, the former owner and
operator of Gehring Real Estate and Auction, died Oct. 16 in a
vehicle accident near Moundridge. He was 68.
Hundreds of friends, family and
business associates mourned Gehring's death during a funeral service
Wednesday at Eden Mennonite Church. And they remembered him as a man
who always had time for everyone.
"If I never remember Dad for
anything else, I'll remember him for the person I can only hope to
be," said Dennis Gehring, Floyd Gehring's oldest son.
Floyd Gehring, who dedicated his life
to the auction business he loved, left more than a business legacy,
his family said.
"It'll take us all to fill those
shoes," Peggy Schoenecker, Floyd Gehring's youngest daughter,
said.
"It's going to be tough,"
said Dick Gehring, the family's youngest son. "It's not going to
be as fun. He turned into a best friend instead of a father."
"He was my mentor,"
Schoenecker said.
"I think he was the wind beneath
all of our wings," Dick Gehring said.
"He taught us to fly," said
Bonnie Voth, Floyd Gehring's oldest daughter.
In 1950, Floyd Gehring started working
at the McPherson Sale Barn. He clerked, penned cattle, sold livestock
and "the whole bit," said Jane Gehring, Floyd Gehring's
wife.
"He started (selling livestock) in
the cow barn milking cows as early as 8 to 10 years old," Marlo
Gehring, Floyd Gehring's brother, said.
He fell in love with auctions as a
child.
"He decided very early," Jane
Gehring said. "After he had gone to an auction sale with his
father, he tried to figure out what they were saying. He was
fascinated by it."
The Gehrings also farmed while Floyd
Gehring auctioned.
"At times, he'd be at three sale
barns a week," Jane Gehring said. "He'd be at livestock
auctions in Hutchinson, Wichita and several places in Oklahoma."
You name the auction barn, Floyd
Gehring was there.
"He's auctioned all over the
place," Dick Gehring said. "The list goes on."
Floyd Gehring's wife went on several
livestock buying trips with her husband.
"Sometimes I went along and that
was real neat," Jane Gehring said. "His hours that he kept
were just unreal. He'd barely get home in time for the Saturday
sale."
In the mid-1970s, Floyd Gehring started
the auction business in Moundridge.
It was a family affair, Jane Gehring
said. His brother, wife and children were involved.
"It was great," Dick Gehring
said.
Through his business, Floyd Gehring was
able to teach his family many things about life.
"I just wish I could have more of
Dad's temperament," Dennis Gehring said.
"He was an example for his
family," Schoenecker said.
The family often would accompany Floyd
Gehring to auction conventions. And they participated in the
conventions' Sunday morning church services.
Floyd Gehring often would share with
his auctioneer brothers the lessons he learned from his mother and
father.
"Always do your best," Jane
Gehring said. "That's what he got from his mother."
"And he has passed that to us,"
Schoenecker said. "Work before you play. Don't be a quitter. And
if you fall off the horse, get back on it. He was a problem-solver.
He was a modest individual. He was an achiever, which is apparent by
all his awards. But he was doing it because he loved to do it and he
did it for people. He always went the extra mile."
Though he was pulled in many
directions, the family said Floyd Gehring always had time for
individuals. From beneath the familiar cowboy hat, Floyd Gehring's
eyes were always focused on the person in front of him.
"He never shunned an individual,"
Dennis Gehring said.
"He always made time for us and
everyone," Dick Gehring said.
"I remember when he'd get me from
the bank and take me to lunch," Schoenecker said. "It would
be our time together. Though he'd stop and shake a lot of hands, a
lot of people knew him, you always felt like you were the reason he
was there."
Voth said each of her siblings
connected with their father in unique ways.
"My connection with him was his
love of music," Voth said. "We would sing in a quartet and
Mom would play piano at auction conventions and other places. Dad
loved music."
And he loved his relationship with God,
the family said.
"His driving force was Christ and
his wife," Voth said.
"He never left home without his
daily devotions," Schoenecker said. "That was very
important to him."
During Floyd Gehring's career, he sold
livestock, farm machinery, household goods, antiques and
collectibles, and real estate.
"I don't know if there's anything
he hadn't sold," Jane Gehring said.
He was inducted into the Auctioneer's
Hall of Fame in 1994 and was a past director and past president of
the Kansas Auctioneer's Association.
He served on the board of directors for
the Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale, and was always at the
quilt auctions each year in Hutchinson.
"I was so proud of him," Voth
said.
"He was proud of us," Voth's
sister added. "He always made people feel like he was there for
you, and it was genuine. He was. It wasn't a front. We've heard a lot
of that the last few days."
Trust was important to Floyd Gehring.
"You have to earn trust. And he
did," Dick Gehring said.
Ross Gehring, Dick Gehring's 5-year-old
son, brought tears to his dad's eyes at the funeral home early this
week, summing up the affect Floyd Gehring had on those around him.
"He was the best grandpa,"
Ross Gehring said.