Joan C. Schroeder

Joan Craig Schroeder, age 85, of Wilmington, DE, and formerly of Glen Ridge, NJ and Elmhurst, NY, died peacefully in her sleep on June 10, 2017, following an extended illness. 

Joan was born on September 29, 1931 at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.  The daughter of a U.S. Army Colonel, Joan lived in many interesting places throughout her childhood, and, in 1948, she was one of the first graduates of the new Okinawa University High School in the Ryukyu Islands in occupied Japan.

Joan attended the University of Oklahoma, where she dated Bill Schroeder, the young man who would become her husband several years later.  After graduation, she worked as a civilian secretary for American military offices in France and Germany, before returning to the States to work at the United Nations.  She reunited with Bill in New York, and the two were married in 1961.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Colonel William Hoover Craig, U.S. Army, and Emily McMillan Craig; her brother, Captain William Hoover Craig, Jr., U.S. Army; her husband, William Ernest Schroeder, and her granddaughter, Katherine Marie Schroeder.  She is survived by her son, Craig Schroeder, and his wife Jill; her daughter, Jennifer Schroeder, and her partner Loren; and eight grandchildren.

A visitation to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, June 17, at 9:00 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 10:00 a.m., both at the Doherty Funeral Home, 1900 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington.  Burial will be at Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease Research.  Donations should be made payable to “IU Foundation – Medicine, Genetic Studies Research” c/o IU Foundation, PO Box 6460, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6460.

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