Michael Dean Schroeder

Michael Dean Schroeder was born July 17, 1948, in Boone, Iowa to Dean and Margarie Schroeder. Michael was baptized as an infant at Trinity Lutheran Church in Boone where he attended church and Sunday school. He attended Trinity Lutheran School from grades 1 through 3.
When Michael was 8 years old, he moved with his family to Anaheim, California. He attended Zion Lutheran Church there, went through confirmation, and took his first communion when he was 12.
Michael and sister Madeline were intrigued by the horned toads and lizards inhabiting their new backyard. Christmas was quite different than it had been in Iowa. It was 850 on Christmas Day. Disneyland and Kotts Berry Farm were right down the street for new adventures. Michael played the trombone in the Marching Band in high school. He loved to surf, got his first surfboard when he was 16, and became a dedicated surfer from then on. Michael struggled after his parents divorced and had some years of misadventure. He attended Orange Coast College, where he got his GED and received A's in many of his classes. He went to Hawaii for a year to surf the big waves.
Michael was a poet and a dreamer. He wrote lyrics to many songs he created accompanied by his guitar playing. After moving to Monterey, California, Steinbeck country (his favorite author), he wrote short stories that won placement in local writing contests and were published. He collected all of the Steinbeck novels. He loved sailing his sailboat in Monterey Bay and moored his boat at Moss Landing.
He started Big Bear Bottled Water Co. in Salinas, CA, and did very well until his retirement, when he sold his company. He decided to move to Pensacola, Florida at the recommendation of a friend, where he enjoyed the beautiful white sands and beaches. He was suffering from Parkinson's disease and early dementia and slowly declined until he passed away at age 75 on January 12, 2024.
Michael is survived by his only son Jeffery, who lives in California, his sisters Madeline and Erica, his nephew Patrick and niece Stephanie, great nieces Mae and Dublin, and great-great niece Marilyn.
And now he is back home with his beloved grandparents, August and Opal Schroeder, where his life began.