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Auctioneer more than father, friend

The Newton Kansan

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.



Owner/SourceHarvey County Genealogical Society
Date3 May 2014
Linked toFloyd P Gehring

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