Fred Schroeter

Fred Schroeter, age 80, of Wolcott, VT, died on April 14, 2025 at the Greensboro Nursing Home after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Fred was born in Elmhurst, Illinois and lived most of his life in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs before moving with his wife, Ruth, to Vermont in 2023 where they bought a home together with their daughter, Elizabeth (Liz), and her family.

Known as a real “mister fix-it” among friends, family, and neighbors, Fred was always eager to share his handyman skills with others. By trade he was an electro-mechanical engineer who made sure conveyor belts, pneumatic tube systems, engines, and fabricated metal were properly installed and working correctly. He was someone you could count on.

In his teens, Fred played the horn in the Royal Airs Drum & Bugle Corp in Chicago where he formed a love of big band and marching band music and forged friendships that would last the rest of his lifetime. The corp reunited in the early 2000’s giving Fred the opportunity to perform again and reconnect with childhood friends. 

As a young man he enlisted in the Army, trained at Fort Bragg, and narrowly missed being deployed to Vietnam. After the Army, he worked for many years as a project engineer – a job which gave him the opportunity to travel all around the US and even to Algeria and South Korea.

Fred had more hobbies and projects than he could keep up with, but they brought him a lot of satisfaction and many circles of friends. At any given time you might find in his garage several half-built motorcycles, the parts for a homebuilt airplane, WWII aircraft instruments, and woodworking projects. He once served as president of the Chicago Norton Owners Club, a social club for British motorcycle enthusiasts. He regularly attended the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which doubled as an annual family camping trip for many years.

He met his wife, Ruth, at his brother Wally’s wedding to Ruth’s good friend Bernadette (Lindstrom) in 1973. Fred and Ruth were married a year later and enjoyed 51 years of marriage. Fred passed away 52 years to the day from when he and Ruth first met.

Fred and Ruth had a strong partnership, each bringing their own areas of expertise to the household – Ruth managing food, finances, and gardening while Fred managed anything that needed building and maintenance. They both shared in the joy of raising their only child, Liz, taking many trips to zoos, national parks, museums, and visits to family out-of-state. They were very involved in the Presbyterian Church USA) where Fred served as an ordained elder and helped on the buildings and grounds committee.

In retirement Fred was thrilled to welcome two grandchildren into his life, Josephine (Joey) and William (Will). Even as Alzheimer’s Disease began to erode Fred’s ability to cognate and communicate, the presence of his grandkids always brought a spark to his eyes. It’s fortunate that Fred got to spend his final years living with his grandkids, wife, daughter and her husband Zeph. His family cared for him the best they could, grateful for the many times earlier in life he took care of them.

Fred is survived by his beloved wife, Ruth (Klecka) Schroeter, daughter Elizabeth (Schroeter) Courtney and her husband Zephan Courtney, and two grandchildren Josephine and William Courtney, of Wolcott, VT; brother Walter Schroeter and his children Wendy (Schroeter) Walden and Robert Schroeter and their families; sister Clare (Schroeter) Johnson and her children Bruce Johnson, Jennie (Johnson) Richards, and Christopher Johnson and their families. He was predeceased by his parents, Heinz Schroeter and Lillian (Silberman) Schroeter.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later time in Illinois. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, alz.org. Online condolences and memories of Fred may be shared with his family at dgfunerals.com. 

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