Carol R. Schroeder

1937 - 2025

Carol R. (Harris) Schroeder

February 5, 2025

Carol R. (Harris) Schroeder, of Grand Island, Nebraska died peacefully at home with her husband and niece by her side on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, after a long battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibroses and Myeloid Leukemia at the age of 87 years.

Carol's Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the First United Presbyterian Church in Wood River, Nebraska.

Inurnment will be held in the Doniphan Cemetery, near her family.

Memorials are suggested to be sent to First United Presbyterian Church, 202 E. 12th Street, Wood River, Nebraska 68883, in memory of Carol R. (Harris) Schroeder.

Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Carol was born on April 4, 1937, in Grand Island, Nebraska to Thomas William & Jane Effie (Alexander) Harris. At a young age, her parents moved to Pico Rivera, California where she learned to play the violin. At 5 years old, she played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. As a teenager, she moved back to Wood River where she graduated high school.

On a Friday the 13th, when out with friends, she met the love of her life, Robert (Bob) Schroeder. They were united in marriage on August 4, 1957, in the Presbyterian Church in Wood River, Nebraska. Bob and Carol lived in Grand Island where they raised four children, Colette, David, Thomas (Tom), and Kirk.

Carol was a warrior in battling, the two life-threatening diseases she had and often fought for what was right in her community. In the early 70s, her group of friends (The Club) were members of the Platt Duetsche in Grand Island. The Platt Duetsche had a rule that women had to wear skirts or dresses in the facility. This was also the era of the pantsuit. One evening the club all walked in wearing pantsuits and the policy was changed since they couldn't kick them all out!

She was the first female Director of Advertising at the Grand Island Daily Independent. She was also the first female executive for Chief Industries, where she was the Deputy Director of Marketing.

In 1981, the Schroeder family moved to Pagosa Springs, CO, where she worked with the Chamber of Commerce and started the "Winterfest", a winter festival for the entire county. This included the "Anything Goes Downhill Sled Race" and featured on The People's national television show. They were there for 5 years when they migrated to Sacramento, CA. Carol worked many years as the office manager for the Rotary Club of Sacramento when she "retired" for the first time! You couldn't keep her down for long as she then went to work as an office manager for the Susan G. Komen Foundation until she was 80 years old. Bob and Carol moved back to Grand Island in 2018, to be closer to their daughter, other family, and friends.

Carol is survived by her husband, Bob of Grand Island; children Colette (Wayne Smith) Hughes of Omaha, David Schroeder (Lisa Yount) of Murrieta, CA, Tom Schroeder of Puyallup, WA, and Kirk Schroeder (Marlene Thompson) of Orangevale, CA; 15 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and 15 great-great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Joan (Harris) Enos, her granddaughter, Jennifer Lynn Kilpatric, and her grandson, Michael Wayne Kilpatric.

Condolences to the family may be signed at www.livson.com.