Monday, August 2nd , 1993

Clear Lake, Iowa

Karen Schroeder, 51, of 1703 S. Shore Drive, died Friday (July 30 th , 1993) at North Iowa Mercy Health Center's East Campus.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Clear Lake. Monsignor Joseph J. Slepicka will officiate, with burial in the Clear Lake Cemetery.

Visitation begins at 10:00 a.m. today at Ward Van-Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. Fourth Street. A scriptural wake service will be held at 7:30 tonight at the funeral home. The family suggests memorials in her name.

Karen Schroeder was born November 6 th , 1941 in Mason City, the daughter of Albert and Mary Lou (Freudenberg) Ashland. She graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1959 and continued her education at Mason City Junior College, graduating in 1961.

She then earned her teaching degree at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. She taught in Monona, Iowa schools from 1962 – 1964 and at Owatonna, Minnesota from 1965 – 1966. From 1967 – 1971 she taught at Lincoln Elementary School in Clear Lake. She continued as a substitute teacher from 1971 – 1980 and then served as a teacher's associate at Lincoln School. In 1992 she was a full-time second grade teacher at Sunset School in Clear Lake.

She married Larry Schroeder July 8 th , 1967 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Clear Lake. The couple has lived in Clear Lake since their marriage.

She was a great supporter of the family and loved flowers.

She was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Beta Sigma Phi Alpha Upsilon Sorority of Clear Lake, Clear Lake Faculty Women, Clear Lake Education Association, Iowa State Education Association and the North Iowa Genealogy Society. She was a former member of P.E.O.

She is survived by her husband, Larry of Clear Lake; a daughter, Stephanie Schroeder, Ames; a son, Scott Schroeder, Clear Lake; her mother, Mary Lou Ashland, Clear Lake; three sisters, Brenda and her husband, Jeff Heinz, Mason City, Rosemary and her husband Mark Norlin, Ames, and Janice and her husband Garry MacNeill, Agora Hill, California; two brothers, Keith Ashland, Kansas City, Missouri and Larry Ashland, Clear Lake; several aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces.

She was preceded in death by her father; a brother, Jerry; and her grandparents.

Karen was one of my best childhood friends. She was the oldest of 7 kids, so she had lots of responsibilites around the house. However she still had time to be a good friend to me and to many other people. One of my earliest memories of Karen is when we would go to the movies at the Lake Theater on Sat afternoon. We didn't live close to each other, so we would meet on a street corner somewhere. I would always be early and I would stand there wondering if she would show up. Of course, she always did, and if she was late it was because of taking care of one of the babies or doing something else to help out.

Karen was the one that kept our group of friends together after high school. She was the only one left in Clear Lake, so we always gravitated toward her when we came back to town to visit. She had a great house on the lake that was welcoming to us all. I wasn't particularly interested in coming back to reunions at first, but Karen would always save a booklet for me, and show me pictures and tell me stories of what was happening with the classmates. She would also send me newspaper clippings when she thought I'd be interested in something that was going on in Clear Lake. I have attached a picture of Louise Wyrum Magnani, me, Carolyn Barlow Nyhus, and Karen which was taken one of the times we all got together in Clear Lake. I think it was around the time we were celebrating our 50th birthdays.

She loved the Class of 59 and always worked on the reunion committee. After she died, I told myself that I would carry on some of her work the best I could from a distance. When Jan asked me if I would like to work on the booklet for the class, I thought that would be a good way to continue with what Karen started.

Karen left us much too soon. At her funeral, the priest commented on what a great care-taker she was. He said "She will be taking care of us all from heaven now."

Ann Minkner Millard