Forever with the Lord: Earl Schroeder (April 18, 1936 - November 23, 2022)

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116:15)

Obituary | Earl E. Schroeder of Sheboygan, Wisconsin | Olson Funeral Home & Cremation Service

Goodbye, Dad.  Love you.

Autumn in review

It has been a while since I documented various parts of our family life, so here are a series of photos which give a glimpse of our Fall.  This covers late September through Thanksgiving.  Comments are inserted to supply pertinent information.

The October break from school allowed us to visit Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, MI (above) and Fayette State Park in the Upper Peninsula (2 photos below).

Our October break also has visit Faith.  We hiked in a Waukesha County Park (above).

Below, Nathanael, Andrew, and I enjoyed a number of rounds of golf, mostly at Kensington Metro Park.

The two photos above are from Maybury State Park, just five miles from our house.

Below is the new bench put in by the City of Novi, along our church's walking path.

The two photos above are from a late October evening in Northville.

Below is a Schmidt family photo taken at the wedding of Hunter and Emily.  Unfortunately, pastoral obligations and distance prevented David from being in it.

Above, Philip had been exposed to COVID and had to leave Martin Luther College.  Faith agreed to host him during his quarantine.  To our knowledge, neither Philip nor Faith (nor Radon) got COVID.  Thanks for the help, Faith!

Below, Andrew, Caleb, and Philip get in some football in the church yard.

Thanksgiving 2020.  Faith had been exposed to COVID and was unable to be with us.  (Sniff.)  Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt were also with us for the weekend.

MLS Graduation for Philip

This weekend, Philip graduated from Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw.  Philip is the fifth graduate among the Schroeders from MLS in the past seven years.  And for the first time since 2009, we will not be making trips to MLS to watch our children play sports, sing in the choirs, etc....

Philip, like all other seniors in 2020, ended his senior year in disappointing quarantine status with online classes since March 13.  The worst of it, at least for Philip, was being robbed of these final months with his classmates.  He did not even really get to say goodbye to them.  When you live with these people in dormitories for four years, this abrupt end is particularly hard.  All in all, Philip has handled it exceptionally well.  And if there is good news to be had, many of his classmates are expecting to be in New Ulm, Minnesota next fall at Martin Luther College.  God willing, he will move into the dorms and attend classes live and in person next fall.

Philip was awarded a few scholarships.  Most noteworthy is that Philip is the first recipient of the Hannah M. Kieta Memorial Scholarship.  Hannah was a classmate of Faith and was killed in a car accident last August.  Hannah excelled in German, and the scholarship was awarded to Philip who intends to continue studying German at MLC next year.

Because of the COVID-19 lockdown, we had to watch Philip's graduation in virtual fashion.  We met in our church and watched it projected on the big screen.  You can watch the virtual graduation here:

We are quite proud of Philip and his accomplishments, even though his senior year was certainly a strange year with unexpected challenges--beginning with a football season that lasted 15 minutes because of an injury on the first day of practice to ending with a stay-at-home quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In any case, here are some photos related to Philip's graduation.  (Hat tip to Vanessa Hose for taking the family photo.  Thanks!)

Philip with the MLS Class of 2020.

The classic "A boy loves his mother" photo, a graduation tradition of each Schroeder boy.

MLS alumni -- Classes of 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2013, and 1988.

Holy Week greetings from Pastor & Laura Schroeder

Happy Anniversary!

          On this date, 26 years ago, I bound myself to my beloved wife, Laura.  I would do so again in a heartbeat. 


          We were wed at Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church in Appleton, Wisconsin, and the majority of our 26 years of marriage have been right here at Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in Novi, Michigan.  We have enjoyed so many blessings over the years, endured a few hardships, and have been spared from even more.

          King Solomon taught us: "An excellent wife who can find?  She is far more precious than jewels." (Proverbs 31:10)  I certainly feel that way about my wife, and pray that other marriages enjoy the same joys that I have known for these past 26 years.  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; and his mercy endures forever.  And I pray that his mercies continue upon us for many years to come.

Local Tourist -- The Science Behind Pixar (Henry Ford Museum)

A trip to the Henry Ford Museum demanded that we see The Science Behind Pixar exhibit (on display into March).  Plan on taking a couple of hours if you want to view all of the videos, displays, and interactive exhibits.

Some photos.

Christmas at Good Shepherd

Here are some photos from Christmas.  Merry Christmas from my family to you.

Family photo, minus Caleb who was very ill.

Here is Caleb from the Christmas concert at Michigan Lutheran Seminary on Friday,
barely hanging on with his sickness.

Schroeder Christmas Letter -- 2015

I always have the intention of getting our Christmas letter out before Christmas, but then duties trump that.  Anyway, here is the year-end review from 2015.  Enjoy!

Only a week remains to be seen

To wrap of the year of two-thousand-fifteen.

So we shall engage in our regular manual

To summarize what happened in this last annual.

God is always good, so we need not complain.

He has sustained and blessed us this year again.

We are pleased to inform you, as another year goes,

Our joys have far outweighed our sorrows.

Laura continues to track her blood platelet count

And gets checked to learn the platelet amount.

Whether low or high—we can never be certain,

But hospital stays have become quite rare.

 

Laura still teaches K through 2^nd grade.

Her love for her class is always displayed.

She finds time to see our kids in their busy-ness.

She cares for our house and does not get enough rest.

 

We learned that her life will soon take a new track.

St. Peter’s Lutheran School will not be back.

They voted to close it, which will happen in June.

We pray God will direct our direction, and soon.

Good Shepherd continues to open its doors

For sinners who crave the mercy God pours.

Tom preaches, teaches, communes, and absolves

And does whatever the ministry involves.

He keeps up his blog, you can follow along

At www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com .

He likes to take photos of the kids in action

Which provides him with a healthy distraction. 

Martin Luther College is where you will find

Faith in her third year exercising her mind.

She also works her legs, arms, back, and hands

Playing basketball with some of her best friends.

 

She was the nanny for two boys in the summer past.

She’s gone to friends’ weddings and had quite a blast.

She loves to come home and spend time with Peter.

She is now 21; toast her with a margarita.

In late October, Faith and we had a discussion.

A car crash had given her a nasty concussion.

Though it totaled the car, Faith was not at blame.

And God is so good—his guardian angels came.

One year at MLC for Nathanael was enough.

He likes to be closer to all the family stuff.

He now attends Saginaw Valley State U.

And Charli is attending there with him, too!

For over four years, a steady couple they have been

They went to Ford Field and saw that “Hail Mary” win.

He still does lawn service for his summer employment.

He wishes he had a car for driving enjoyment.

Andrew is a senior; MLS days are fleeting.

Each season is the last of his high school competing.

Last season, basketball wins made his season quite fun.

MLS went far in their team’s playoff run.

               

In football camps, he had hoped to turn heads,

But he ended up with a cracked rib instead.

He healed up and played games quite stout

At safety; also QB, and later wide out.

The Cardinal team notched a 10-2 slate.

Andrew got honors from team, conf, and state.

He sings in the choir and last spring went on tour.

He’ll graduate in May, at least we’re pretty sure!

Caleb is a Cardinal at MLS.

He is a sophomore and continues to impress.

He is getting good grades, his GPA’s high.

It sounds like Caleb is a popular guy

Driver’s Ed. this past summer was part of the plan.

He has his permit and likes to drive when he can.

Caleb straps on headphones and blocks the world out.

Caleb’s the quietest of the kids, no doubt.

 

Caleb played football for the JV squad.

Some catches at receiver had the crowds awed.

This winter JV basketball is what he’s got

Where he drives to the hoop or blocks someone’s shot.

Philip has had quite a year to remember

With a Packer game at Lambeau back in September.

The NFL game was an experience glorious,

And it helped that the Green and Gold came out victorious.

Philip is at St. Peter’s and in his final grade.

One more year of Eagles basketball to be played.

He knows MLS comes after his graduation.

He also anticipates a May confirmation.

After long years of waiting, Philip is no longer vexed.

He just got a phone to make calls and to text.

He lives with his iPod and WiFi access.

As far as his school work, he strives for success.

On December 15, Peter turned seven years old.

He likes to trounce in the snow and the cold.

He is a Minecraft player on PlayStation4.

He would never leave the game if we let him play more.

Peter attends the same school as Philip, his brother.

He’s in first grade and he is taught by his mother.

He started to learn basketball and loves going to practice.

Three January games will be enough to attract us.

 

Peter is excited about all things Star Wars--

Decorative bed sheets and shirts in his drawers.

He still likes to draw, to color, and read.

He loves playing with his siblings, and grows like a weed.

Summer vacation filled the family with glee.

The first stop was Knoxville in Tennessee

To the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Faith was eager to see pioneers of the game.

Then down south we drove with much determination

To the place where we had made our reservation.

We pulled in quite late and set up in the dark

At Walt Disney World campground and park.

A three day pass was the deal we got—

To Magic Kingdom and then to Epcot,

And finally Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

We saw the mouse with the ears that everyone knows.

A month later we drove through traffic chaotic

To Philadelphia, a city which is quite patriotic.

The University of Penn had a camp for Andrew.

We saw Independence Hall and a cracked bell, too.

We hope you have enjoyed our year in review.

We pray that the Lord keeps watch over you.

May the love of our Savior which was given at his birth

Fill you with comfort, with joy, and with mirth.

Love,

Tom, Laura, Faith, Nathanael, Andrew,

Caleb, Philip, and Peter Schroeder