Rev. Herbert Martin Gerken

Rev. Herbert M. Gerken of Fort Wayne, Indiana, left this earthly life when summoned by his Lord to be with his Lord and Savior and his fellow saints on May 31, 2026. He was born October 27, 1940, in Watseka, Illinois, the son of the Rev. Walter Gerken and Elizabeth (Hagemann) Gerken. Herbert was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Donna (Germann) Gerken, whom he met on a blind date. They were married at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Ohio City, Ohio, by his father, Rev. Walter Gerken, August 9, 1967, and Pastor Gerken’s grandfather, Rev. August Gerken, was Donna’s pastor in her younger years. God blessed them with nine children: Mary Gerken of New Haven, IN; Philip (Donia Ake) Gerken of Fort Wayne, IN; Peter (Lia Diorio) Gerken of Merchantville, NJ; Eve Gerken of Fort Wayne, IN; Sarah (Travis) Whiteside of Fort Wayne, IN; Ruth Deckard of Whiteland, IN; Anna (John) Prindle of Gulf Breeze, FL; Miriam (Jason) Davis of Garner, NC; Paul (Christine Torrence) Gerken of Indianapolis, IN; along with his sixteen grandchildren: Jessica, Ashley, Tasha, Christopher, Annamarie, Dominic Gerken; Taylor Whiteside; Mckenna and Laney Deckard; Maddox and Brock Prindle; Lillian, Jay, Nolan and Heath Davis; and Claudia Gerken.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. and Mrs. Walter Gerken, brothers: Rev. Richard, Rev. David, John, Luther and sister, Pauline Kummer.

Pastor Gerken loved the Lord and strived to do everything to the Glory of God. He devoted his entire life to preaching and teaching the Word. At a young age, his ambition was to be a pastor or an airline pilot. His proudest family moments were that he baptized all his children and grandchildren and married all his children that are married. He loved to sing powerful Lutheran hymns like “Thy Strong Word,” “A Mighty Fortress,” and “Lift High the Cross.” His hobbies and favorite pastimes were woodworking, making model airplanes and boats, playing softball and playing euchre. He also liked to tease and tell “funny” jokes, with a twinkle in his eye.

Pastor Gerken always had a positive attitude and what he loved most in life was preaching the Gospel and leading others to Christ. He would like to be remembered as a faithful pastor, a faithful husband, and a faithful father. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!

Visitation and Service Details

Visitation: Tuesday, June 9, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Hockemeyer & Miller Funeral Home (6131 St. Joe Road, Fort Wayne, IN).

Funeral Service: Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church (3425 Crescent Ave, Fort Wayne, IN). An additional visitation hour will be held from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, with the service beginning at 11:00 AM.

The service will be live streamed and recorded on the Holy Cross Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdarrt-R9gF_mZjGbW_v9Q

Interment: Burial will follow at Concordia Cemetery Gardens.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Worship Anew, and Stillwater Hospice.