Sidney Sommers

Sidney S. Sommers, 94, of Cape Girardeau went home to his Lord Jesus on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018.

He was born Sept. 21, 1923, in Bronx, New York, to Jacob and Martha Horwitz Sommers.

After graduating in 1942 from Hillhouse High in New Haven, Connecticut, Sid joined the Army Air Corps. He was later deployed to Harris Field in Cape Girardeau for flight training. There, he met the love of his life, Nina Young, a graduate of Illmo High School, who was serving the war effort as an airplane mechanic. They were married June 14,1944, in Valdosta, Georgia. While aboard a ship en route to invade Japan, an effort forecasted to cost 1 million U.S. casualties, Japan's surrender resulted in his six-month, post-war deployment to Manila.

Returning to Cape Girardeau in 1946, Sid vowed to make it a permanent home, never to uproot his family. He worked at various jobs, including Suedekum Hardware and Missouri Utilities, before embarking upon his career in the life and health insurance business. He sold individual insurance, group and pension plans and also hired and trained agents for various companies including Aetna, Old American, General American and (Dale) Davault Insurance, before opening his own brokerage firm. He earned Life Underwriter Training Council professional designation, then volunteered his time to teach the courses to others. Many in the area knew "Mr. Sommers," who sold Medicare supplements to themselves or their parents, well into his 70s, and would happily handle the paperwork maze of Medicare claims for his policyholders.

Sid and Nina joined Centenary United Methodist Church in 1947. There he served faithfully in many capacities, including Methodist Youth Fellowship leader, Lay Witness chair and the seed committee, which launched LaCroix United Methodist Church. He and Nina were charter members of the Sunday School Clipper class.

His contributions to the community included coaching Little League, a weekly auxiliary volunteer at Southeast Hospital and serving as an elected ward committeeman. Quite often, his efforts were individualized, offering help of any kind someone needed, as he lived out his faith daily. Sid was an avid fan of baseball, in childhood the New York Yankees, and later the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a lifelong, consummate fisherman.

All who knew Sid and Nina regarded them as an exemplary example of a loving, Godly marriage. Faithful always, Sid never wanted to spend a night away from Nina, refusing company reward trips and training courses, unless he could pay extra to bring her along. They were inseparable until 2015, when Nina was forced to live in memory care. Despite battling final stage prostate cancer, Sid visited her faithfully every day until the last month of his life, always with her happiness and comfort his most important goals. He lived his life, as did so many of his age, in a way earning the label, "The Greatest Generation."

He is survived by wife, Nina Sommers; son, Patrick (Barbara) Sommers of Bluffton, South Carolina; daughter, Sara Sommers of Cape Girardeau; and granddaughter, Whitney Sommers (John) Nelson of Crystal, Montana; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, with Pastor Eric Coher officiating. Burial will be at Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau, with military honors.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Centenary United Methodist Church, Cape Bible Chapel or Samaritan's Purse at samaritanspurse.org.

Online condolences may be made at fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.