Gerda K. Tatro, age 81, Jamestown, Kansas, died Monday, June 22, 2020, at her home in Jamestown. She was born on April 23, 1939, in Weinheim, Germany, to George & Margret (Gredel) Stephany.
Gerda, the youngest of 7 children, attended and graduated high school in Germany. She married a U.S. serviceman, Charles Bussart, in Germany and came to the United States at the age of 19. To this union were born 2 children, Kathy and Tony. They later divorced.
She married Jack Tatro on Oct. 11, 1986, in Concordia, Kan. She was a housekeeper for the Jamestown State Bank, Jamestown United Methodist Church and Cheyenne Lodge Nursing Home.
Gerda was a loving, devoted wife and mother. She enjoyed collecting Hummel figurines and making her home a welcoming place for her family. Gerda loved to dance, serving meals and entertaining family and friends. She has been a resident of Jamestown, Kan., for the past 46 years.
She is survived by her husband, Jack, Jamestown; grandchildren, Jennifer Kemper, Heather Bussart & Jason Rash (Amber Mach) and their children, Audrey, Ethan, Roman & Vandin; Jack’s children, Jack Tatro (Shelley), Jenni O’Donnell (Mike), Heather Learmouth (Ian) & Holly Ames; and his numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and her 3 sisters, Inge Zang, Elsa Olah & Erna Patterson.
She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Kathy Matlock; son, Tony Ray Bussart; grandson, Kyle Baglo & 3 brothers, Otto, Kurt & Werner Stephany.
It was Gerda’s wishes to be cremated. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 11, 2020, at the Jamestown United Methodist Church with Pastor Randy Whitley officiating. Burial will be at a later date in the Jamestown Cemetery, Jamestown. Friends may sign the register book from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, July 10, 2020, at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, Concordia. Memorials may be made to the family, to be designated at a later date, in care of the funeral home. For online condolences, please visit www.chaputbuoy.com.
