Gale Gerber holds the last box of personal belongings from his office at Nappanee City Hall. After 36 years with the city, Gerber is retiring from his post as superintendent of the water department. InkFreeNews photo by Keith Knepp.

By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

NAPPANEE — Whether by name or just face, just about everyone in Nappanee knows Gale Gerber. They might recognize him for his tireless work with the annual Apple Festival or his efforts with the Miracles at Main and Market celebration. Gerber might have been on their street supervising or assisting a crew with a water problem. Or, perhaps, they just have crossed paths with him at the grocery or hardware store. Whatever the case, Gerber has been described by at least one resident as the “second mayor of Nappanee.”

After 44 years of public service, the last 36 of which have been with the city of Nappanee, Gerber hung up his fluorescent work vest for the final time last Friday, Dec. 22, retiring as superintendent of the city’s water department. He began with the city as a water operator and worked his way up to utilities manager and eventually became superintendent of the water department.

Gerber began his public service career in 1979 in his hometown of Monroeville, southeast of Fort Wayne. Out of high school, Gerber worked in factory jobs until a family friend alerted him to the job with the town. He soon earned several necessary licenses to work with the water and wastewater operations.

He served as Monroeville’s jack-of-all-trades superintendent for eight years before he was lured to a position in Nappanee by then-Superintendent Jim Callendar. Gerber and his wife, Sarah, immediately fell in love with the town.

“One of the first things we noticed was the cleanliness of the town,” he recalled, “and we noticed how many churches were here in the community. That’s always a good sign. It’s a place you want to raise your kids.”

Gerber said he’s looking forward to not rising at 5 a.m. each morning to go to work. He admitted, however, that he doubts his body will adjust to its new schedule anytime soon. Another thing he won’t miss are the phone calls in the middle of the night, making him aware of a busted water line or other problem that fell under his purview.

“It’s been a wonderful career,” said Gerber. “It’s kind of bittersweet. We’ve got a lot of good things that are going to be happening. They always told me ‘you’ll know when it’s time to retire.’ We’ve got a big water main project coming, and I wanted somebody younger, who will be Brian VanVoorst, who can take it and run with it and put it in.”

When asked what he was going to miss about coming to City Hall every day, Gerber’s voice caught a bit as he contemplated the question.

“The friendships,” he eventually said. “The teamwork, every day. We bounced things off each other all the time. We want to do what’s best for the community and what we feel is right. The camaraderie. My guys in the field, you know, its a big family. When somebody’s sick, we’re all concerned for them. I’m going to miss the projects. We’ve got a lot of neat stuff going to be happening here in the future that we’ve been working on. That’s exciting, and I’m looking forward to seeing that develop. I’ve kind of helped steer the development of this city, and I’m going to miss that.”

Gerber assured his predecessor and Mayor Phil Jenkins that he isn’t going anywhere. He will continue to live in Nappanee and is ready to provide his institutional knowledge and advice whenever it is requested. He added that he hopes the requests don’t come in the middle of the night, however. He also plans to remain active with the many city events with which he has become synonymous.

Never one to seek the limelight or recognition, Gerber said he’s always preferred to do his job behind the scenes and watch things flourish.

He expressed his appreciation to all the mayors he’s served under in the city, as well as the city council and all his colleagues. In fact, many of them, as well as some of the city’s vendors, chipped in to purchase a travel voucher for Gerber to take his wife on a well-deserved vacation. He said they are going to add to that amount and take their two children and one grandson along for the adventure.