Obituary of Gerhardt James Schwankl

Gerhardt “Gary” James Schwankl, age 56, born on June 25th, 1967, in Minneapolis, MN to Gerald and Kathleen Schwankl, passed away at Fairview Hospital on May 24th, 2024, with his family at his side.

Gary graduated from Eden Prairie High School in 1985 and served his country in the Army Airborne and Army Reserves. After Specialist Schwankl was honorably discharged, he attended Mankato State and the University of Minnesota.

The most notable trait of Gary’s character was his passion to acquire knowledge. It started at age 3 with Greek and Roman mythology and it progressed into many fields of interest. He had a great appreciation for fishing, guitars, German engineering, and many music genres from rock to classical. He delved into the religious, social, and military cultures of world history in his quest for understanding and enjoyed sharing his knowledge. His earthly journey has ended. His journey into the realm of enlightenment has just begun.

Gary was preceded in death by his father Gerald, brother Quentin; grandparents Elmer and Margaret Schwankl Stein and Frederick “Fritz” Stein; grandparents Raymond and Isabelle Johnson.

Gary is survived by his mother, Kathleen Schwankl; brother, Bryon Schwankl, and sister-in-law Michelle Schjodt of Plymouth.

A memorial service will be held on August 8th, at Pax Christi Catholic Church in Eden Prairie. Visitation will be from 10-11AM, Funeral Mass 11-12PM, Luncheon 12-1PM. A private Interment will be held later at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to DAV  https://cst.dav.org/ or Homes For Our Troops. https://www.hfotusa.org/