Rozora Schroeder, 100, formerly of Manning, IA, went to be with her Heavenly Father on June 19, 2023. A graveside service will be held for Rozora at Manning Cemetery on July 18, 2023 starting at 1pm. Pastor Robert Riggert will be presiding.
On December 4, 1922 in Manning, Iowa, parents Emil and Margaret (Stang) Kuhn were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Rozora Jane. She was baptized January 14, 1923 and confirmed April 18, 1937, both at Zion Lutheran Church in Manning. Rozora was raised on a farm just outside Manning, and since she was an only child, she was involved in farm life growing up. As she always reminded everyone, she was “an Iowa farm girl.“
She attended Manning High School and graduated in 1940. After high school she went on to college to study teaching and taught in a one-room school house. She married LaVerne Schroeder on July 11, 1948 at Zion Lutheran Church in Manning. Their first son, Kyle, was born on June 29, 1955 and their second son, Kurt, was born on November 27, 1958. Rozora and LaVerne moved several times during LaVerne’s career with the Milwaukee Road railroad. They lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Seattle, Washington; West Des Moines, Iowa; Bloomington, Minnesota; and Elgin, Illinois before finally returning home to Manning. Wherever she lived, Rozora would involve herself in her local Missouri Synod Lutheran Church’s Ladies Guild and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML).
Shortly after LaVerne and Rozora retired to Manning, LaVerne passed away on December 18, 1984. Rozora devoted her time to Zion Lutheran, participating in the Ladies Guild, Altar Guild, and various committees and areas of service. Rozora made banners for the church and for special occasions such as weddings and confirmations. She lived out her faith in the caring of others, including her aunt and her parents in their later years, and she lovingly cared for those in the church who were sick or shut in. She continued this service to the church until she was 90 years young, when she moved to Minnesota to be closer to her sons.
She was blessed with two granddaughters whom she loved and cared for deeply. She spent many hours watching re-runs of “I Love Lucy” and laughing out loud with her granddaughters. She came to enjoy watching the Minnesota Wild hockey team with her granddaughters as well, often cheering them on as they shared a pizza.
Rozora loved the simpler things that God’s creation provides. She was particularly fond of birds and loved to watch them at the feeder or taking a bath in the stream of her son’s pond. Her home was decorated with a variety of bird figurines, and she had a clock that played a different bird song each hour. Her favorite bird was the cardinal, since red was her favorite color and it reminded her of Christmas.
She lived out her faith in Jesus and made her relationship with Christ the center of her life. She enjoyed going to church and Bible studies, and when she couldn’t go on her own, her daughter in-law would take her. She was a witness to the nurses and aides at the assisted living facility where she lived out her final years. At her 100th birthday celebration she was alert, talkative, engaging, and humorous. She read her Bible every day until her eyesight failed her, and then her family read it to her. After every reading she would exclaim, “That was good.” Even as her health slowly slipped away, she remained thankful and a good and faithful servant. She had a life well-lived.
Rozora was greeted in heaven by her parents, Emil and Margret Kuhn; her husband, LaVerne; as well as various aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends. She is survived by her two sons, Kyle (Barb) and Kurt (Laurie), and by her two granddaughters, Faith and Maria Schroeder.
