Bruce Lee Schroeder

Bruce Lee Schroeder was born on February 17, 1934 in Orleans Township, near Ionia, MI. His parents were William Carl Schroeder and Esther Goldie Schroeder (nee Jepson). Nearing the end of the Great Depression the Schroeders were sharecroppers north of Ionia, then worked their way up to a small farm west of town near Johnson Road. Bill worked at the prison, farmed and Esther ran a frugal household as many had to back then. Bruce's older sister, Belvey, was already in school.

As a youngster, Bruce helped on the farm, was in 4-H and school sports. In track & field, he appeared at the Hastings Relays in the early 1950s. His passion for music began in the school band program, in which he played alto saxophone.. Bruce had a fine tenor voice and sang in many choirs, musicals and solos over the years. Church music was a special part of his life. Jazz was his favorite secular music.

Backed by Esther's strong will, Bruce was the first in his generation to attend college, graduating from Ferris State Institute in 1956, with a degree in Pharmacy.. A main building burned down, forcing students to take their lab courses in Quonset huts left from the Korean War. Dad was known to have spent time by the Muskegon river for fraternity parties. Apparently he was tasked with finding a green fallopian tube as a frat pledge and went to every hardware and auto parts store in Big Rapids. That must have been before basic anatomy class. Dad also played in jazz clubs with his quartet, the Blue Notes. Dave Brubeck was their main inspiration. Bruce paid for much of his college playing his sax.

Bruce met the love of his life, Geraldine Botruff, in Ionia continuing the courtship during college while she finished high school. Gerry attended Western Michigan Institute in 1955 and Bruce drove the 107 pre-freeway miles many weekends to see her in a 20+ year old vehicle. They both were smitten and they married in September, 1956. Bruce took assistant pharmacist jobs in Lowell and Ionia before moving the family, now including sons Craig and Paul, to Howard City in 1962 to start a business.

The house in Ionia was not sold, so that period is known as the "macaroni" years in family stories. We lived in 5 rentals over 2 years.During that time, Bruce met a produce grocer in town and they started an IGA store that included a pharmacy.. If not the first, it was one of the first stores of its kind and it worked. Five years later, we had our first vacation. The following years saw five expansions, change to Spartan brand and two additional partners...When Craig and Paul were school-age, Gerry began working at the store, then the boys as teenagers, In the early 1990s, Bruce and Gerry sold their share of Howard City Plaza to retire in Grayling on Lake Margrethe.

Bruce & Gerry soon became involved in community service in Grayling. Dad helped Mom during the beginnings of the Christian Help Center. Michelson Memorial UMC soon became a focal point of their lives. Dad sang in church choir, Michelson Singers and served in committee work. Rotary, the Eagles and the Department of Human Services regional board were also important areas of service. Bruce was a natural "people person", which helped greatly in business & volunteering. Dad could "shoot the breeze" with almost anyone.

Always a hard worker, Bruce knew how to play hard as well. Mom & Dad enjoyed traveling both in the US and abroad. A life-long learner, Dad loved museums, adventures like scuba diving and sailing, while Mom was happy to be in the sun and read. Bruce had his toys at home as well. There were snowmobiles, boats, sailboats, dirt bikes, motorhomes, new TVs and almost any kind of gadget that came along, Dad reasoned that since he never smoked, he could use that savings to buy another toy. We're not sure anyone could have smoked that much!

At age 91, Bruce Lee Schroeder passed into the presence of God on October 29th, 2025 after a long decline with Alzheimer's dementia. He was preceded in death by sister Belvey North, parents Bill and Esther Schroeder and wife Gerry Schroeder. Also sisters-in-law Jane Botruff and Lucille Wright (Botruff). Surviving are sons Craig Lee Schroeder and Paul Alan Schroeder. Also, sister-in-law Gloria Botruff and brothers-in-law Jim Wright and Dave Botruff. Bruce has eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren who survive.

Special thanks to the staff at the Brook of Grayling, and Dad's many caregivers and medical professionals who helped make his life the best it could be. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Crawford County Christian Help Center or the Alzheimer's Association of Michigan.

Visitation will take place at Michelson Memorial United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 29, 2025 from 10:00am until the beginning of funeral service at 11:00am. A luncheon will follow directly after the service at the church.

Arrangements entrusted to Sorenson-Lockwood Funeral Home.