Eric Gordon Schleder

Eric Gordon “Gord” Schleder, 90, of Forest Lake, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on November 26, 2025, in his beloved home in the woods, surrounded by family.

Born October 16, 1935, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Art and Ada Schleder, Gord spent his early years moving with his family. He attended Topeka High School in Kansas and Winona High School in Minnesota, graduating in 1953. Active in choir, rifle, and swimming, he also performed in school theater, memorably playing Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Outside of school, he worked as a butcher and early on developed a lifelong love of trout fishing—tying his own flies, fishing alongside his father, and proudly bringing home the day’s catch to be fried by his mother.

Gord earned his undergraduate degree from Winona State College in 1957 in biology. Known for his independent spirit, he often arrived to class in his Army jeep with his dog, leaving fishing waders outside the classroom door. After graduation, he taught biology, chemistry, and physics at Ivanhoe High School in Minnesota, where he famously kept a pet owl for his biology students and witnessed his most memorable aurora borealis, complete with its mysterious hissing sounds.

He continued his education at the University of Minnesota, earning a Master of Science in Plant Pathology in 1960, focusing on flax, a “plant most useful.” Gord never lost his love of botany and throughout his life referred to plants and trees by their Latin names. He entered the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and earned his D.D.S. degree in 1964. During that time, he lived on campus as a resident assistant, sang in a barbershop quartet, attended opera, and shared countless late nights of ice cream and conversation with close friends.

Gord opened a dental practice in Northeast Minneapolis in 1964, where he practiced until 1997. He was deeply loved by his patients for his skill, craftsmanship, and genuine personal connections. A true artisan, he took great joy in doing his own lab work—creating molds, castings, and gold crowns by hand. Alongside his private practice, Gord taught dentistry at the University of Minnesota from 1964 to 1983.

In 1967, he married Charlotte Ovechka, and together they raised five children in the woods of Forest Lake. Their life was full of a massive vegetable garden, homemade bread and wine, deer hunting, splitting firewood, and kids riding atop trailers loaded with logs. They enjoyed ice skating, cross-country skiing, motorcycle rides, building toad worlds, and spirited games of catch. Christmas meant towering trees, family and staff parties, harmonizing at midnight Mass, piano and xylophone music, opera and classical music, and albums of Anita Kerr, Neil Diamond, Crystal Gayle and Johnny Cash. Family meetings often featured poetry by Robert Service, artwork displays and children performing their talents. Summers were spent fishing at the Brule River cabin in Wisconsin and water skiing at Velvet Beach in Minnesota. To say Gord loved life is an understatement.

In 1995, Gord married Jeanie Lois Matthews, with whom he shared a profound connection until her death in 2004. Their life together was filled with gardening, photographing lilies, entertaining friends, jewelry making, covering every wall with art and treasures, deep conversations, laughter, voracious reading and shared creativity.

A lifelong outdoorsman, Gord shared countless fishing and hunting trips with friends over the years, finding joy in forests, rivers, and quiet tree stands. He cherished the beauty of nature, the peace it brought, and the friendships formed along the way, always sharing his love of the outdoors with those around him. He made 29 trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area with scouts, family, and friends, but none meant more to him than the 1998 canoe trip with all five of his children—a memory that always brought tears to his eyes.

Known by many names, Gord answered to each with warmth and humor: The Ol’ Grizzly Bear, Netmaker of the North, Doc, Gordie, Bruth, Uncle Gord, Dad, Mr. Eric and Grampa. Each name tells a story, reflecting a life rich in creativity, curiosity and connection.

Gord was preceded in death by his parents, Art and Ada Schleder; his brother, Charles Schleder; his wife, Jeanie; and his granddaughter, Dorothy Jo Gallus. He is survived by his children: Suzanne (Pete) Gallus, Ivan Schleder, Senta Kay (Victor Ibarra) Schleder, Rebecca Schleder, and Nicholas (Jessica) Schleder; nieces, Kristine Schleder and Tracy Johnson; as well as eight grandchildren. He also leaves a legacy of countless friends, students, and patients whose lives he touched through teaching, healing and learning. In his spiritual life, he was affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints/ Mormons.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff at Ecumen Hospice, whose compassionate care treated him like royalty, and to Naomi, whose gifted music brought comfort and peace at the very end. In accordance with Gord’s wishes, his ashes will be spread on the land he called home for 45 years.

Memorial donations may be made to the Dorothy Gallus Charitable Fund, a tax-deductible fund created in memory of Gord’s granddaughter, supporting local programs for children and teens.

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Thrivent Charitable

PO Box 8072

Appleton, WI 54912-8072

Memo Line: Dorothy Gallus Charitable Fund #806042