Thief River Falls &endash; Robert P. Schroeder, 87, died on Sunday, August 24, 1997 at Northwest Medical Center in Thief River Falls.
Funeral services will be held today, Wednesday, August 27 at 2 p.m. at the Green Funeral Home in Thief River Falls with Reverend Robert Waterbury officiating. Grace Hammer will be the organist and soloist. Casketbearers will be members of the Thief River Falls American Legion and VFW. Burial will follow services at Greenwood Cemetery with military rites provided by the Thief River Falls American Legion and VFW. Visitation was held Tuesday from noon until 7 p.m. at the home.
Robert Pete Schroeder was born February 1, 1910 in Dewalt township near Rushmore to John C. and Anna C. (Ivers) Schroeder. Following school, he worked for several farmers in the Rushmore area.
Bob served in the United States Army in the 1150th Army Air Forces Base Unit. He entered into active service on March 21, 1942 in Ft. Des Moines, IA and eventually achieved the rank of sergeant. He was one of 160,000 men who landed on Normandy beaches on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He also served in battles and campaigns in the Rhineland and Central Europe and was decorated with a Purple Heart. He was honorably discharged on September 24, 1945 at Camp Gordon, GA.
Following his discharge, Bob attended the Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis to learn upholstery as a trade. He then went to work at various construction jobs in Iowa, Kansas, Indiana, Oregon and Michigan.
On May 3, 1953, Robert married Lottie Dahlberg Wang in Minneapolis. The couple moved to Long Beach, CA where he worked upholstering aircraft seats for McDonnell-Douglas. He retired in l972, and the couple moved to Thief River Falls in 1975. Lottie died in l993.
Bob enjoyed carving wood animals from basswood and white pine. He placed his carvings in a few area gift shops and took special orders. He had customers from all over the United States and also Sweden, Norway, England and France.
Survivors include one brother, Alfred Schroeder of Sturgis, SD; and several nieces and nephews.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife; parents; and 12 brothers and sisters.