Obituary of Otto C Schroeder

Otto Schroeder passed away on July 31, 2009. He was born on July 7, 1923 to Carl and Beaulah Schroeder. Otto became the man of the house at age 12 when his dad died, and cared for his mother and sister Anna for the rest of their lives. Otto graduated from Puyallup High in 1941, where he was captain of the basketball team, two-time champions of the Puget Sound Conference. Otto and Frances Koch met in the Tacoma Shipyards, and were married three months later, on March 20, 1944. Their first child was born nine months later, shortly before Otto joined the Navy and served in the South Pacific. After he returned, six more children were born over the next 17 years. Frances and Otto bought a home in South Tacoma within walking distance of Visitation Parish and School, where all seven children attended. Otto and Frances have been members of the parish for over 55 years. Otto was a Scoutmaster, leader of the Visitation Men's Club and Holy Name Society, called bingo, cooked pancake breakfasts and more. He and Frances enjoyed many Saturday nights dancing at the VFW Hall. He was a big fan of the Seahawks, Sonics and Mariners and spent many hours cheering them on. Above all, his whole life was spent protecting and providing for his family. Otto was the guy you wanted on your team or in your foxhole. Otto is survived by Frances, his wife of 65 years, and his children Carl Schroeder (Margaret), Valerie Evans (Derryl), Kathy Schroeder, Mary Ann Schroeder, Paul Schroeder (Gretchen), and Tom Schroeder (Maria). He was a loving grandpa to 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. The family extends its heartfelt thank-you to the Franciscan Hospice staff and to the incredibly caring and compassionate staff at the Franke Tobey Jones Health Care Center. Services will be held at Visitation Church at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, August 5th, followed by a reception at the church hall.