Herta Schumacher Okonkwo

Herta Schumacher Okonkwo departed this life on July 1, 2026. Her path was a quintessential American storyline, from its origins under the Third Reich in Germany to an unlikely marriage and life with a fellow immigrant from a decidedly different place.

Born April 16, 1938, in Hamburg, Germany, Herta’s childhood was shaped entirely by World War II and the German social and political landscape. By far the youngest of three daughters, her adult sisters were part of a German generation where too many young men died from violence; in fact, her oldest sister never married as there were no options. Herta’s family emigrated in 1952 to Kitchener, Ontario, a German-speaking town in Canada, where she finished high school and then was educated at Carleton University in Ottawa.

In January 1965, in graduate school at the University of Illinois, Herta met a young man like no one she had ever encountered: a dashing scholar from Asaba, Nigeria with the brightest smile she had ever seen. They each knew instantly. Their church would not allow weddings during Lent, so Augustine Okonkwo and Herta Schumacher married on Easter, April 18, 1965, unwilling to wait even one more day to begin their life eternal together.

Herta and Augustine eventually settled in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where they raised their family and became immersed in their community. Though their children eventually went global, all still understand the special blend of Christian and military values seeped into the ethos of their native Tidewater.

Biracial children in the South were not a demographic in 1974. When our parents were married at the chapel in Champaign, Illinois, it was illegal for them to have married in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We never discussed race in our household; we discussed integrity and education. The concept of victimhood did not exist in our childhood; we were reminded every day that in the United States you can achieve anything with persistence, hard work, and passion. We learned, without ever having to be told, that family, faith, and learning are the foundations of life. As siblings, we are color blind, we are humble, we are patriots, and we help others, as these are the core values our parents gave us.

Four children, twelve grandchildren, a lifetime of loyalty, humanity, and charity, all shaped by Herta and Augustine’s Christian beliefs. Our parents were educators in every sense, whether it was Herta’s decades as a public school teacher in Virginia, her service to Tidewater Community College, or the early childhood development center, Kindernook, that she built and ran for years. Following her career in education, Herta’s passion was Season for Nonviolence, whose mission is to teach young people to find commonalities, settle differences peacefully, and be inspired by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our mother’s story can only happen in America: a child of Hitler’s Germany marrying a West African who exemplified everything else. And there was only one factor that mattered: LOVE. Our mother was born on Easter Saturday and married on Easter Sunday. Her childhood in war-torn Germany was softened by nuns and her adulthood was shaped by her commitment to her faith, her deep commitment to pacifism, her belief in her fellow man, and her kindness to everyone around her.

As our mother joins our father in what is surely Heaven, we carry with us here on Earth her message: we are all more alike than different; be kind, be of service, embrace peace, and love one another. And God bless America.

Herta is survived by her four children. Rebecca McPherson (James) and her daughters, Trinity, Madison, and Eden; James Okonkwo (Kristen Boyd) and his children, Morgan, Kyyam, and Jackson; Margaret Okonkwo (Scott Carr); David Okonkwo (Quirine) and his children, Oscar, Steven, and Quinn; her grandchildren Christopher Okonkwo (Kristin, daughter Riley), Crystal Okonkwo, and Christy Okonkwo.

A Celebration of Life is planned for September 5, 2026, at 10 am at Smith & Williams Funeral Home, Kempsville, Virginia Beach. In lieu of flowers, please support Season for Nonviolence (https://vibecreativedistrict.org/donate/).