Gary Allen Schreiner, 88, of Lena, IL, passed away peacefully at Lena Living Center on July 15, 2024. He was born on December 16, 1935 in Freeport to Lloyd and Pearl Schreiner of Lanark. He was their only child. Gary married Aileen Kramer Tonini on June 30, 1973 at their home, "Windy Oaks," west of Lena, high on a hill overlooking the farm fields of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.

Gary is survived by Aileen, three children, Lori Logemann, Craig (Lisa) Schreiner and Alan Schreiner; stepson Alan (Kelly) Tonini; grandchildren LeeAnn Meyers, Ashlee (Bernard Cooper) Logemann; Cole Logemann, David (Abby) Jones; Zach (Heidi) Schreiner, Josh Schreiner and four great-grandchildren, Kennedy Cooper and Isabel, Charles and Iris Jones. He was preceded in passing by his parents, a stepson, Mark Tonini, and grandson, Aaron Emmanuel Schreiner.

Gary loved agriculture. He worked first as a farmer and later as a farm implement dealer. As a boy in Lanark, Gary was introduced to farming by relatives, the Hoffman family at Forreston and the Schreiners at Chadwick.  As Gary was growing up, he spent summers on the farms of uncles and aunts and grandparents.

In the Lena business community, Gary found forward-thinking friends who would support his business ventures for the rest of his life. Gary's bond with Lena began in 1960 when, on a drive with his dad, he found a farm west of town. On the 220-acre farm, he raised nearly every kind of livestock except dairy cattle. By the 1970's he was renting more land and raising corn and soybeans exclusively.  Along with farming, Gary began selling and trucking farm equipment for his friend Richard Wilkening, who owned a Case implement dealership in Lena.

As he continued farming, Gary entered a partnership with Wilkening and their friend Bill Kuhlman, owning and operating the popular Red Cedar Lounge supper club in Freeport for several years.

When Gary married Aileen in 1973, he was starting his own used farm implement business, Elroy Sales Co. at Elroy. With his patient, no-nonsense style and intimate knowledge of farm equipment, Gary earned the trust of his customers. Like them, he had farmed, often with the same kinds of machinery he was selling. Gary entered farm implement sales full-time. The small business along highway 20 became a hub of activity with machinery coming and going from across the Midwest. An innovator, Gary even took on a line of new equipment from Germany--air-cooled Deutz tractors. But the used trade was the lifeblood of his business with John Deere, Farmall and Ford tractors, New Idea corn pickers, all brands of combines and much more.

Gary's exceptional ability attracted attention. In an overture to hire Gary, one Allis Chalmers dealer said he was one-of-a-kind. There was no one like him. When he closed the doors at Elroy for the final time, he began selling new equipment in Stockton at a CaseIH dealership owned by Joe Borsdorf.  Gary then capped an outstanding career in his own hometown of Lanark with 20 years as sales manager at Curtis and Sons, where he sold John Deere equipment. An award-winning salesman, Gary received honors from the John Deere Corporation including a vacation trip to Australia with Aileen.

Travel became a focus for Gary and Aileen in retirement. They made motor home treks across the U.S. and into Canada, usually accompanied by close friends. At the same time, they opened Stage Coach Trail Storage in Lena to meet the demand for storage units. Every September, they opened the property as a staging area for antique farm tractors in the Lena Fall Festival parade. Tractors gathered beneath the stately oaks and large picnic lunches were served preceding the tractor rides led by Gary after the parade. Gary fed his love of American farming with his antique tractor and implement collection. In winter, Gary and Aileen became "snowbirds" after discovering Fort Myers, FL in 2000, acquiring property there and building a residence. But Gary's proudest possession remained two farms he and Aileen owned—one near their house on the hill, the other south of Winslow near the Pecatonica River.

Whether it was people, crops or farm animals, Gary had an instinct for what they needed to thrive. He was a person of action. Nothing happened on its own. When he was a young farmer and pigs were born, the runts were brought into the basement and bottle-fed near the furnace. In raising corn and soybeans, Gary believed in fertilizer. Lots of it. When people were struggling, Gary was there with his quiet, steady voice. He was a keen observer of people. He possessed intellectual curiosity and was an avid reader of daily and weekly newspapers.

Gary's successes can make it look like he knew how to do everything right. But it's important to remember that he was living in the moment. When he took a risk, no one, himself included, knew how it would turn out. Those decisions were educated guesses. The excitement was in how it MIGHT turn out. This is what he leaves us with, along with the lesson that we should love what we do, and then persist.

Gary's family wishes to thank the nursing staffs at FHN Hospital in Freeport and Lena Living Center for their skilled, compassionate, healing presence at Gary's bedside. Truly, so many times, they seemed to know how to send just the right person at just the right time. Thanks also to the many friends who have reached out to check on Aileen and all of us. We treasure you.

A graveside ceremony for family and open to friends who wish to come will be held at Lena Cemetery in Lena, IL on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. A celebration of Gary's abundant life will be held at Coach's Golf and Grill, 621 W. Lena St. in Lena, IL from 12:30-3:30 p.m.

(Photo by: Larry Nelson)