In Memory of Gerhard Peemoeller(1945 - 2015)

Gerhard Peemoeller was born on April 6, 1945, in Lübeck, Germany as the eldest of three children. His father was wounded in World War II and his mother ascended when he was 17 years old. His grandmother was very religious and he developed a deep faith at an early age. It was his determination that if Jesus ever returned during his life time, he would never let him die so young. He was most known for being the personal bodyguard to True Father, for being a member of Ocean Church, and for being a national messiah to Chile.

He joined the Unification Church in 1972 and came to America on September 18, 1973. While preparing for the Madison Square Garden event, he was suggested to work at the security at East Garden. After the victory of the Washington Monument event in 1976, True Father decided to hold the 74 Couples’ Holy Marriage Blessing at the World Mission Center. Gerhard was blessed in marriage with a Japanese woman, Nobuko Komura, at the ceremony. As a personal bodyguard, he accompanied True Father on numerous tuna fishing trips, which was the start of his fishing training. In 1977, he transferred to the World Mission Center to be the head of security. However, when Ocean Church started in 1980, he was designated to be the central pioneer in Norfolk, Virginia.

He rented an apartment in Norfolk with five or six Unificationist brothers and started gill netting with a Good Go boat. They started out by going door-to-door to sell their catch and selling flowers on the weekend to help cover costs. Amazingly, they were able to buy a house in Virginia Beach and ran a church center in it. The German word for “mission” carries a deeper nuance than the English word, so Gerhard committed himself wholeheartedly to whatever he did for the church. He faced incredible persecution from the other fishermen, from often getting his nets stolen, to having the other fisherman hold meetings on how to kick the “Moonies” out, as they called him. It took him seven years to start to like fishing, but he eventually started to feel like a real fisherman and gained the respect of the other fishermen. They even called him by his nickname, ‘Big Gerhard,’ just like everyone in the church always did.

Commercial fishing is a physically taxing profession. Gerhard developed arthritis and lost a significant amount of cartilage in both knees to go along with his type 2 diabetes. Gerhard worked unconditionally as a fisherman for 30 years until he was no longer physically able to continue. In his later years, he developed an infection in his leg that required surgery. While in the hospital, he contracted antibiotic-resistant pneumonia and almost passed away. He also suffered from hearing loss. However poor his health was, his faith did not waver. With the help of a physical therapist, he went from being unable to move his limbs to being able to walk 10 steps with a walker. Throughout it all, his mind was clear and he never gave up. In fact, he was able to write 4 books, 3 of which he self-published. He enjoyed playing scrabble with Nobuko, fishing, and reflecting on his life through his writings.

Gerhard worked hard to provide for his family of seven children and set an amazing example of perseverance, work ethics, and faith for his children. While they may not have had the greatest material possessions, the values and principles that he instilled were invaluable. Even though he has suffered so much physically, Gerhard’s love for God and True Parents never changed. He ascended from a heart attack on April 24, 2015, just a few weeks after his 70th birthday. Gerhard is survived by his wife Nobuko; his seven children, Jangsoo, Frederick, Kay, Miwa, Bhae-Jin, Takami, and Oceana; and his six grandchildren.