Funeral services for 100-year-old William P. “Will” Schroeder, of both Butterfield, Minnesota and Mountain Lake, Minnesota, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning, October 24, 2014, at Cornerstone Bible Church in Mountain Lake. The church is located at 1019 Prince Street.
Interment will follow in the church cemetery in rural Mountain Lake. The cemetery is located on the west side of 570th Avenue, south of 360th Street and north of 10th Street/Cottonwood County Road #9.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, 2014, at Sturm Funeral Home-Mountain Lake, located at 420 10th Street North. Visitation will continue at the church the day of the funeral service from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Sturm Funeral Home-Mountain Lake is handling the funeral arrangements. The family may be sent online condolences at www.sturmfh.com.
William P. Schroeder passed away on Monday, October 20, 2014, at Windom Area Hospital in Windom, Minnesota.
William P. Schroeder was born to Peter W. and Susie (Becker) Schroeder on January 16, 1914 near Chinook, Montana. The family moved from Montana to Dolton, South Dakota when Will was eight-years-old.
Will gave his life to the Lord at an early age. He attended country schools in rural South Dakota until he completed the eighth grade. Then he worked with his family on the farm and as a hired hand for area farmers until he moved, with his brothers, Jake and Pete, to Mountain Lake, Minnesota in 1935.
William and Hulda Nickel were married on May 26, 1938 at the EMB (Evangelical Mennonite Brethren) country church near Mountain Lake. They resided near Mountain Lake for several years, where three precious children, Jule Willis, in 1939, Mavis Ann, in 1942 and Ethel Fay, in 1944, were stillborn to them.
They moved on to Omaha, Nebraska, where they attended Grace Bible Institute. Two years later, they moved to Liberty, Missouri, where Will worked with his brother, Pete, as an electrician. During that time, Judy Ann became their daughter.
A short time was spent in Freeman, South Dakota, when Will worked with his brother, Jake, doing electrical work also. From there, they moved back to Mountain Lake, where Will began his 25 years of employment with the Toro Company in Windom, Minnesota, and in 1952, Janice Wanett joined the family.
Hulda passed away on March 24, 1988, just two months prior to their 50th wedding anniversary. Will and Margaret (Classen) Klassen were married on January 7, 1989 at the EMB Church in Mountain Lake. They enjoyed 25 years of marriage that included spending 13 winters in Edinburg, Texas.
William will be remembered for his love of music. Coming from a musical family, he spent many hours singing with his family and in many quartets, men’s choruses, choirs and the Mountain Lake Choral Society. He also enjoyed playing the guitar and listening to Southern Gospel Quartet music.
Cherishing his memory are his wife, Margaret, currently in Butterfield, Minnesota; daughters, Judy (Tracy) Fawbush of Polson, Montana and Janice (David) Klassen of Mountain Lake; grandchildren, Jeffre Klassen, Jaime (Matthew) Banks and Justin (Jennifer) Klassen, all of Mountain Lake; four great-grandchildren, Abigal Dahl of Galena, Illinois, Ryan Klassen of Mountain Lake and Peyton and Jackson Banks of Mountain Lake; two sisters, Alvina Schroeder of Butterfield and Leona Nickel of Anoka, Minnesota; one brother, Dennis (Margaret) Schroeder of Mound, Minnesota; two sisters-in-law, Bernice Schroeder of Goshen, Indiana and Marilyn Schroeder of Maple Grove, Minnesota and many nieces and nephews.
Welcoming him to heaven are his first wife, Hulda and their three children, Jule, Mavis and Ethel; his parents; brothers, Jacob, Peter, David, Leander, Sylvester, Cifford and Harley; sisters, Linda Nickel, Delphe Derksen and Elsa Peters; brothers-in-law, Peter Nickel, Edwin Derksen, Elvin Peters and Gerhard Nickel and sisters-in-law, Luella Schroeder, Claudette Schroeder, Fern Schroeder Unruh and Shirley Schroeder.
