Prairie Works

“Ruhen Sie in Frieden” 

Last Thursday, my great uncle, Paul Schoenekaese of Liberty ILL, died at 82 years old. Not only was Paul my Grandfather’s brother, he was also a very close and special friend who is responsible for what I do today. The obituary from The Quincy Herald-Whig said that Paul was a lifelong farmer and hunter. Paul certainly was that, but much more.

Paul farmed the same farm where he was born in 1925. He used horses to do this until 1974, decades after most farmers began using tractors. Paul’s farm was very diverse with Pork, Beef, Poultry, Vegetables, Fruits and managed habitat areas for his fruitful hunting endeavours. Paul spoke very openly about the poor farming practices (as well as many other things) that area farmers were using and knew of the long-term destruction of chemicals on soils. His neighbors would apply nitrogen with tractors to fields while he applied manure with horses. Organic was not a word that he knew, but it was something that he had practiced for 60 years. Paul heated his home with wood, butchered his own meat, grew his food on site and utilized hunting seasons for sustenance, not for sport. The grocery store was simply for anything that could not be grown or processed on his own. He lived as sustainable a life as possible in today’s age.

A great botanist, Paul and I would contest each other in the identification of weeds on the property. I would tell him what the books call the weed and then he would tell me what they’re really called. He had a keen sense and observed an increase of invasive species on his ”ground” over his lifetime. He could tell you the exact year that a weed appeared for the first time. Paul became very interested in the restoration ecology that I spoke of and understood the principles behind it. He introduced me to Burton’s Cave nearby, because of the rare plants that he observed there.  

In the 1980s Paul came close to death when he entered his burning home to retrieve his guns. He was treated for 3rd degree burns in Springfield, ILL. This marked the second time that he had left Adams county in his life. Paul took great pride in being a German Catholic. He served on the church board for decades and also attended mass daily. Paul was highly respected in Liberty Township.

Paul was buried next to my Grandfather and Great-Grandfather yesterday in Quincy Illinois. His wife survives.