Ralph Arthur Schroeder, 87, Tigerton, former owner of a number of convenience stations in Stevens Point, died Friday, Sept. 28, 2012, at his home.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. John Lutheran Church in Tigerton, with the Rev. Matthew Uttenreither officiating. Burial will be in Union Cemetery in Tigerton. Military honors will be provided by members of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans.
Visitation will be at the church from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday and at again from 9 a.m. Tuesday until the services.
The Beil-Didier Funeral Home in Tigerton is assisting the family. Condolences may be offered online at www.beil-didier.com.
Mr. Schroeder was born Aug. 9, 1925, in Tigerton, a son of the late Arthur and Sophia (Schmidt) Schroeder.
He entered the U.S. Army and served in the infantry during World War II from 1943 to 1945, receiving a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and a Unit Citation.
He was married to Helene E. Monicke on Feb. 2, 1946, at St. John Church Parsonage in Tigerton.
In 1947 he started his own business in a small filling station behind the grocery store in Tigerton. This grew into a large oil jobbership. He purchased the Delzell Oil Co. in Stevens Point in 1989. This enabled the Schroeder Oil & Excavating Co. to expand into the Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids markets, allowing him to build four new C-Stores in Stevens Point and one in Wisconsin Rapids.
He served on the Church Council as president, eight years on the Tigerton Village Board, was a volunteer with the Tigerton Fire Department, a member of the Tigerton Lions Club, and he served for 11 years on the Shawano County Board. He was a lifetime member and active with three local veterans’ organizations –American Legion Post 239 of Tigerton, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8068 of Elderon and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 53 of New London.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Gloria (Kermit) McGinnis, Appleton, and Judy Schroeder, Tigerton; two sisters, Ruth (Merlin) Much, Tigerton, and Edna (Frank) Holmes, Oshkosh.
He was also preceded in death by one son, Ronald; an infant sister, Elaine; and one brother, Duane (Virginia).
