Howard Schroeder

Howard D. Schroeder age 78 of Vicksburg, Michigan passed away Thursday, October 12, 2017 at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was born May 20, 1939 in Sturgis, Michigan son of the late Edwin and Lucile (Bowman) Schroeder. Howard resided in Vicksburg for the past 44 years. His early life was spent in Sturgis where he was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1957. On May 13, 1962 he married Kathryn Arlene Reed at the St. John's Lutheran Church in Sturgis. She died July 17, 2012. Howard's entire working life was involved in aviation. While still in high school he worked at the Kirsch Municipal Airport in Sturgis. He was one of the original employees at Kal-Aero in Kalamazoo where he continued his career until retiring from Duncan Aviation who assumed the ownership of the company. While at Duncan Aviation he received the Silver Wings Award for his many years of dedicated employment and also received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, a very prestigious award presented by the United States Federal Aviation Administration. The award recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior aviation mechanics. He was a member of the St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church in Portage and enjoyed fishing, hunting, gardening, biking, walking and bowling. Howard is survived by one daughter: Susan Packer of Oak Grove, Kentucky; one grandson: Morty Packer of Oak Grove, Kentucky; two sisters: Sharon (James) Long of Sturgis and Marcia (David) Cromer of Vicksburg and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and three brothers: Maurice, Harold and his wife: Marjorie and Norman Schroeder. The family will receive friends from 2:00-4:00 and 6:00-8:00 P.M. Monday at the Rosenberg Chapel of Hackman Family Funeral Homes, 807 E. Chicago Rd., Sturgis, MI 49091, 269-651-3284. Funeral services celebrating the life of Howard D. Schroeder will be held at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday at the St. John's Lutheran Church in Sturgis. The Rev. Mark Gieschen of the St. James Evangelical Church of Portage will officiate. A graveside committal will follow the service at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Sturgis. The family suggests those wishing to make a memorial donation in Mr. Schroeder's memory consider the St. James Evangelical Church, 2381 Romence Rd., Portage, MI 49042 or Rose Arbor Hospice, 5473 Croyden Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49009. The obituary is also at www.hackmanfamilyfuneralhomes.com where personal messages of support may be left for the family.