Dr. Willa T.C. Schroeder

SCHROEDER Dr. Willa T.C. Schroeder. A woman of great courage and stature passed away Saturday afternoon. Dr. Willa T.C. Schroeder, recently of Grove City, Ohio and formerly a resident of Tiffin, Ohio, ended her struggle to recuperate from pneumonia and congestive heart failure. She had bravely continued on with living, even after her partner for life had lost his valiant battle against cancer, nearly 8 years ago. Willa, Nena, Mom was a woman whom you would have expected to come of age in the 60's; independent, going after the male dominated field of medicine and the German culture of the 30's. Born to Henry and Willa (fka Wulff) Hack, July 11, 1922, in Bogota, Colombia, she spent the first few years of her life watching her father, Henry open the first department store chain in South America. Upon her return to her homeland, she grew up in some of the most interesting, tumultuous and horrific times of the century, to the point of secretly helping the resistance against Hitler. She helped her family, now only survived by brother Henry in Germany, withstand the firebombing of her home by Allied bombers. Their home was obliterated within feet of their heads while they wondered if they were next. Lifting the fallen support beams from her father's body and helping him rebuild their lives after, gave her the strength to take the next step of starting anew in a strange country, let alone in the home of the former enemy. Even though she decided to be a "normal" stay at home Mom and take care of her new American family instead of pursuing what would have been a stellar career in pediatrics, all who knew her felt the compassion, caring and strength to carry-on-no-matter-what. Leaving behind two children, Thomas (53), Barbara (50); daughter-in-law, Judy (50); and three grandchildren, Glenn (19), Gage (16) and Libby (15). She will be greatly missed by her family and many friends from around the world. Her ashes will join with those of her husband in a burial at sea next week within sight of their favorite smooching bench in the LA area. Donations (in lieu of flowers) would be greatly appreciated by any Diabetes support organizations. She will now guide the rest of us in a different manner, all the time worrying about what she can do to maker another life easier. Sign the online guestbook at www.dispatch.com/obituaries