Obituary of Ronald E. Schroeder

Ronald Earl Schroeder was born to Raymond and Charlotte Hayes Schroeder in Chicago, Illinois, on November 9, 1934. Growing up, he lived with his father, sister and great aunt on the city’s Northside in a two-flat built by his grandfather. The alley behind the house served as the launch pad for Ron’s lifelong love of cars, beer and good friends, featuring the underage “borrowing” of his father’s car for late night alley drives. Ron’s car-related interests helped him get out of many school exams by fixing the teacher’s car, but also landed him with an overnight in lockup after being caught drag racing.
Ron didn’t leave Chicago until he found himself stationed in Texas with the Army fixing teletype machines. He didn’t like Army food, Army brass, Texas heat or the bugs. Once discharged, Ron bought a house in Mt. Prospect with his wife and continued his habit of working for himself by opening a commercial painting company and then a furniture refinishing shop. He made lifelong friends everywhere he went and would often be found sharing a cold one with the mailman, one of the sales guys, the hardware store owner, the police captain, the plow driver and most of the neighborhood men over a certain age. Ron enjoyed his hobbies including toy bank collecting, NASCAR, spicy bloody mary’s, Country & Western music and antique toy trucks.
Ron met and later married the love of his life, Corrine “Corky” Schroeder. They traveled, hunted for antiques, joined volleyball and bowling leagues, threw countless parties, planted vegetable gardens and welcomed all of their combined kids to their home until Corky’s death in 1990. After his grandson was born in 2003, Ron moved to Syracuse, New York to work on spoiling the next generation and to complain about NY baseball and football teams.
Ron, who thought that a child’s discipline was best left to others, loved and was beloved by his daughter and most kids who met him. Growing up, Ron’s daughter spent more time with her Dad in his workshop pounding nails into scrap lumber, driving to hardware stores in search of a part, eating Tombstone pizza in Wisconsin taverns and holding onto him while always bringing up the rear in the snowmobile pack than she ever spent learning how to cook—something for which she is eternally grateful. 
Ron passed away on August 14, 2024, and is survived by his daughter Karen Schroeder, son-in-law James Williams, grandson Alex Williams, nephew Craig (Gwendolyn) Morris, niece Char (Keith) Larson, stepsons Mark, Anthony and Mitch Markese and many great and great, great nieces and nephews. As churches, funeral homes and ladies in fancy outfits made Ron nervous, a celebration of life will take place on Tuesday, September 10, 5-7pm at the Golden Spike Pub in E. Syracuse and in Chicago in November.
Online condolences, www.shepardsonfh.com.

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