Obituary of Vern R. Schroeder

Vern Raymond Schroeder was born on August 31, 1917 in Heimdal, North Dakota. In a diary beginning in 2003 to his great grandson, Maxwell Schroeder, Vern talks about his early childhood in the small farming community of Heimdal, North Dakota, a little town of about 150 people. His dad owned the billiard hall and barber shop there. Vern played with lots of friends until his father, Peter Schroeder and mother Ida Schroeder, moved from town when he was 7 or 8 years old to a large farm one and a half miles out of Heimdal. Vern writes, "There were 6 in the family when we moved: George, Mildred, Vern, Harold and then 3 more were born on the farm: Walter, Doris and Eddy. "I enjoyed living on the farm but we didn't have all the conveniences that you have now. We had no electricity, no running water, and we had to carry the water from the well pump outside in a bucket. We had kerosene lamps to read by and do our school work. We took a bath in a small wash tub (could hardly get in and out of it), and the toilet was outside in what they called "an outhouse - a two holer" , and in the winter time we had to brush the snow off of the seat before we sat down. You didn't spend much time sitting there and sometimes someone else was ready to sit down on the warm seat. (I remember doing that lots of times myself)". "The winter was very cold at times, as much as 35 degrees below zero", Vern continues. "Dad would take us to school in a horse drawn sled. We would cover ourselves up with a heavy blanket and a hot brick to stay warm. This was done many times during the winter months." "All of us had to help dad on the farm; take care of the chickens, cows and horses," Vern writes. "I would have to milk the cows with my brother Harold. Sometimes the cow would kick and the bucket of milk would spill or maybe the cow would step in the bucket and then we would have to dump it out and feed it to the pigs. They liked milk. Sometimes the cow would kick the milk over me and I didn't like that. As I got older I could help with the field work. Dad had about 500 acres of land so us older boys would take the draft horses and they would pull the field equipment and we had to walk behind, sometimes we could ride on the cart behind. So we did a lot of walking when working the fields. Dad planted oats, wheat, barley, corn and flax." "During the years of the Depression in the 1930's dad lost the farm. No rain for years. If it did rain it wasn't very much to do the soil any good. The hot weather dried up the fields that were planted and the grasshoppers were so many they would eat the crops if there was some. Those were bad times for all the farmers there and around the country. All over." Vern was riding his 1923 Harley Davidson one summer day dressed in jeans, motorcycle boots and white t-shirt with cigarettes rolled up in his sleeve when he met his wonderful wife to be, Harriett for the first time. Vern shares, "She was at my cousin's place, Rudolph and Maude Schroeder, in Heimdal and at first sight on my motorcycle she told my cousin "I don't want anything to do with him! However, after we talked, she agreed to see me again and I visited Harriett a few times there and then she went back to her parent's home in Bowdon, North Dakota. I traveled about 25-30 miles to see her there. That was a long ways in those days. I was working on my uncle Emil Schroeder's (brother to my father, Peter Schroeder) farm at the time. I did get to use his car a couple of times to drive and see Harriett, and that was weekends only. Also at the time I was enjoying myself going to Saturday Night Dances where I met Lawrence Welk and became interested in the accordion and Polka music. I never really had a girlfriend then to dance with. Harriett never went with me. She never did dance, but said she wished I would teach her how." "Oh when did I get my first kiss? I will tell you how", Vern writes, "Every year they have a fair in a town at Fessenden, North Dakota. We were enjoying the fair and I won a prize, I don't remember just how, but it was a small compass. I did like it and I guess Harriett did too. When we went back to the car to go home we were in the back seat and I guess Harriett was trying to get it away from me and of course I was trying to keep it but she got it and then WHOA we kissed. I still feel the blood pressure going up!" Vern says, "From then on we started going together more often. I went to work at a farm much closer to her home and Harriett was working at a place close to where I was working. I could ride horseback to see her." Vern rode the draft farm horses that were so large no saddle would fit. He said "riding the drafts bareback was fine as they were solid and good horses". He loved the horses. Vern continues, "It was pretty cold at that time, but the natural heater worked well on the horses back." "Harriett never rode with me on the horse. Later on I bought a 1929 Chevy Coupe from Harriett's brother that was really nice. We were going together quite steady by then and I made a statement to her. I said to her, Would you marry me if I asked you? And she said, You haven't asked me, so I did. We then decided it to be August 7th, 1941 in Bowdon. By then we decided to move to Oregon because the weather was too wet to do any threshing, that is getting the harvest in from the fields. So we left for Oregon in the 1929 Chevy Couple. If I remember right all we had was a few clothes and about $50.00 or $60.00. But we made it across the states O.K. slow but sure." After they arrived in Portland and stayed with his parents Peter and Ida Schroeder for a short time. From there, they moved to Shelton, Washington where their first son, Ken was born July 24, 1942. Vern worked in Shelton for just a short time as a mechanic, then returning to Portland where he was offered a job at Hanset Brothers Brooms & Whisks (Vern's in-laws) maintaining the manufacturing equipment. He was working there just a short time before he was inducted into the U.S. Army Air Force in September of 1942 at Fort Lewis, Washington. After that, the Army moved them to Rapid City, South Dakota where the 242nd AAF Base Unit was. He was trained there as a medical technician and was destined for foreign service when the Army changed their mind and asked him to stay stateside and work as a medical technician at the Base where soldiers engaged in training before being shipped overseas. While working at the Base, he occasionally jumped a ride in the B17s that were training. He said "they sounded like tin cans and the sheet metal quivered so much that it almost blew off of them when they were flying". He was called several time to ship overseas, but at the last minute didn't get the order, so he completed his service in the states and received an American Theatre Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal and WWII Victory Medal. He separated from the Army Air Force December 11, 1945 and moved back to Portland where they resided at 933 SE 34th street. He went back to work for a short time at Hanset Brothers. However, he knew a friend who lived in Tillamook, Oregon and was offered a good position at Rosenberg Lumber in Tillamook. They packed up in their 1934 Plymouth and drove to Tillamook in 1946. He said it took them about 4 hours to get there in those days. It was there that their second son, David was born January 13, 1947. After a few months in Tillamook, they decided they loved the Oregon coast area and purchased land on Gienger Road just south of Tillamook. It was there that Vern designed and built their home while living in a mobile home across the street near the Trask River. Mr. Rosenberg (Lumber Mill owner) thought so much of Vern that he gave him all of the lumber to build the house. Their home became the towns 'go to place for any and all', especially for those who needed a place to stay. While in Tillamook they were very active in the SDA church and the community. Vern continued to work at the same lumber mill and eventually supervised most of the daily operations during the last 10 years of his career. The lumber mill went through several owners and eventually became a subsidiary of Publisher Paper Company. It was during that time Vern was called upon many times to fly out of town on the company jet to solve equipment operating issues which couldn't be figured out by the college trained engineers. Vern writes, "If you ever have a chance to go through this mill in Tillamook, Oregon do it. You have to see it to really understand all the equipment there is in making lumber out of trees. I think a lot about all the things I did in that mill". Vern retired from Publishers Paper Company in 1979 after 30 years. One funny coincidence was in the late 50's while working at the mill owned by Henry Beuhner at the time, Vern recalls loading lumber on trucks which were taken to Portland to construct the Beuhner's new home (designed by John Storrs) in 1957. As fate would have it, Vern would eventually live in that same home for the last 3 years of his life with David and his wife Becky! Vern's natural aptitude at mechanical engineering led him to be competent in whatever he chose to do including; running draft horses on the farm and all farming activities, building Historic Landmarks through the Civil Conservation Corp. (CCC), being in the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII, maintaining and operating two commercial fishing vessels in Mexico, woodworking, to working as a Superintendent at Publisher's Paper Company in Tillamook Oregon designing and maintaining all types of complicated machinery for the lumber and paper industry. Not only was Vern a success on any job but he was a success with family life being loving, nurturing and supportive to all around him. Vern was loved by many many people. Vern and Harriett were a team where ever they went. People say they brightened a room when they walked in. Their lives were centered around each other and their faith in God. They were truly happy. In 1980, Vern, Harriett and Ken moved to Portland to be closer to their grandchildren, Trace and Jeff. Vern and Harriett volunteered for Maranatha, building schools and churches in Mexico and helped his son in his business during retirement. He enjoyed playing his accordion and traveling with family and friends. He always had wonderful gardens and he would share his bounty with others joyously. At the age of 80, Vern, Harriett and Ken moved to Palm Springs, California in 1998. They enjoyed the desert immensely, connecting with all sides of their family as well as snowbird friends. During the year 2005, Harriett became ill so they moved back to Portland where Vern helped care for Harriett in their home until she passed away in 2010. They were married for over 67 years. Vern lived a good, healthy and solid 95 years. It was obvious by the glint in his eyes that he enjoyed life. He passed peacefully at home with loved ones at his side on October 22, 2012 in Portland, Oregon. Vern is survived by his sons, Ken and David (Becky Rae) Schroeder; grandsons Trace Schroeder and Jeff (Jillian) Schroeder; "adopted" grandson Eric Swanson; great-grandchildren Maxwell Oscar, Zephyr Rey, Isabella Grace and Taylor Mae; his sister Doris Kelly numerous sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nephews and nieces, including his caregiver for the last three years, "Toni" Grubb, cousins, and too many close friends to count! Thank you Vern from us all for being a constant source of solid love and for being You. We will miss seeing the twinkle in your eyes and feeling the kindness in your heart. If we could all have that sparkle like you had, right up until the end, then we would know we have done something right with our lives. We love you Vern. You were a great son, husband, father, grandfather, friend, and community figure. Service Information