John Joseph (Jack) Schroeder passed away on January 15th, 2021 surrounded by family. Born on April 20th, 1949 to Francis and Mary Hausman Schroeder. He was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in a loving home with his five siblings, graduating from his beloved Elder High School in 1967. He received his BBA in 1971 and his MBA in 1972 from the University of Cincinnati. He was a lifelong diehard Elder Panther and loved his Cincinnati Bearcats. No matter what city he lived in or what part of the world he was traveling to, one could find him on the phone most Saturday mornings with his brothers getting play by play accounts of the Friday night football game.
He met his wife Susan Schultz while juniors in high school in April 1966. They married in December 1970 and recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They were blessed with 6 children, 20 grandchildren, and one great granddaughter. Their years together were filled with a strong love and commitment to each other, their family and their faith.
Jack loved his career in the Food Processing Industry. For over 40 years, he made strong connections and lifelong friends. Jack brought his family from Chicago to Prosser in 1990 when he took a job with Milne Fruit. He retired in 2014 as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Jack was proud of his years at Milne where he was able to see such growth and success. He considered his Milne coworkers as cherished friends.
His family and faith were the center of his life. He loved family gatherings being surrounded by his grandkids and was always ready with a good story to tell. Attending school activities of his children and grandkids were a joy to him. He found great enjoyment in supporting Prosser schools for his children and grandchildren. You could always find him in the stands wearing Mustang hats, shirts, and waving flags. His life was filled with large family gatherings, trips to Hawaii, yard sales, and creatively refurbishing old furniture. Giving back to his community was a priority throughout his life as he dedicated years of service to numerous organizations from St. Aloysius-on-the-Ohio Parish to coaching his kids in sports to numerous acts of service in the various communities he resided in. He greatly enjoyed his work with the Prosser Memorial Hospital Foundation for many years. While serving on the Foundation board, he founded the Ryan Veloz Pediatric Fund in honor of his grandson as a means of providing financial support to Prosser Memorial Health for pediatric care. Later in life, his renewed interest in auto racing took him to various race tracks around the Northwest as he and Sue enjoyed following Thompson Racing. His life’s legacy is one of faith, family and service.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Susan. He is also survived by his six children: Jennifer (Jason) Mount of Richland, Francis (Anika) Schroeder of Prosser, Lisa (Steve) Veloz of Prosser, Angela (Mark) Skeen of Prosser, Melissa (Shawn) Van Winkle of Prosser and Meredith (Fernando) Hernandez of Gilbert, AZ. He is also survived by his grandchildren John, James, Jacob and Jessica Mount; Abby, Hayley, Lily, and Lori Van Winkle; Lexi, Chris, and Lizi Veloz; Emily, Shelby, Miley, and Josiah Skeen; Roslyn and Sophia Hernandez, and Emma and Preston Schroeder. He is also survived by one great granddaughter, Ivy Van Winkle Heard. He is also survived by his loving siblings and their spouses, Giles and Meg Schroeder, Dave and Diane Schroeder, Sue and Paul Schotte, and Joe and Maria Schroeder. His surviving in laws include Jane and Jim Drummond, Linda and Jim Searcy, Richard and Mary Jane Schultz, Karen Tierney, and Bill and Annie Schultz. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Sandra Boyle and her husband Pat, in laws William and Mary Jane Schultz, brother in law Tim Tierney and one very special grandson, Ryan Veloz.
Donations in his memory can be made to the Ryan Veloz Pediatric Fund at Prosser Memorial Health, 723 Memorial St, Prosser, Wa 99350; Elder High School General Scholarship fund, 3900 Vincent Ave, Cincinnati Oh 45205; or to his Parish Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Prosser, WA.
A memorial Mass and celebration of his life will be held in the spring in Prosser. The family welcomes your messages at www.ProsserFuneralHome.com.