Herman Biemann, 85, of Vero Beach, passed away peacefully with his family at his side at the VNA Hospice House on Tuesday, June 9, 2015.
He is survived by his daughters, Susan Biemann (Dan Elrod) of Vero Beach and Nancy (Bruce) Cook of Port Orange; grandson Ben Cook; sister Christel (Gerd) Wulf; niece Sandra (Heiko) Ahrendt; nephew Denis (Kristina) Wulf; and stepchildren William Zorc, Frank Zorc, Marylee O’Neill, Thomas Zorc, Michael Zorc, Joseph Zorc, Kathryn Wright, Rosemary Hersey and Gwen Lamothe.
He is predeceased by his beloved wife, Gwendolyn Zorc Biemann, and his sister, Karla Freimann.
Biemann was born in Elmshorn, Germany in 1930, to Ludwig and Emma Biemann. His family survived the four-day Hamburg fire bombings in 1943 but lost their home and all their possessions.
At the age of 14, Biemann was one of only 17 students in Germany to be accepted into a machinist apprenticeship program during the post war years. His training and skill served him well when he immigrated to the United States in 1953.
After serving a stint in the U.S. Army, he moved to Vero Beach and was one of the first machinists hired at Vero Beach Piper Aircraft plant. He worked with the engineers on the design of the Piper Cherokee PA 28 and the first Cherokees produced at the Vero Beach plant were built on Biemann’s jigs.
He was head of tool and die during the height of Piper’s production at the Vero Beach plant. He took up painting in his spare time and his eye for composition and detail eventually led him to a second career. He was an award-winning representational artist known especially for his seascapes and had a studio on Ocean Drive. His family and friends often received birthday cards bearing his original artwork.
An avid angler, Biemann tied his own flies and rarely returned from the Indian River without a snook, trout or redfish. He also loved dancing and was an avid reader.
Services will be private at a later date.
