Curtis L. Schroeder

West Des Moines - Curtis L. Schroeder, age 75, of West Des Moines, passed away on April 29, 2025, with his loving family at his side. He had fought a courageous battle with cancer, maintaining an incredibly positive attitude, steadfast and unwavering faith, and his signature charm, quickly becoming what his medical team referred to as a “favorite patient.”

Born Curtis Louis Schroeder on January 15th, 1950, in Davenport, Iowa, Curt was the son of Louis and Clara Schroeder of Bennett, Iowa. He grew up on the family farm north of Bennett, milking cows and raising other livestock. Before graduating from Bennett High School in 1968, Curt was involved in 4-H, little league and high school baseball, church youth group, high school dramatics and speech contest, band in grades 5-12, and the yearbook staff.

Curt entered the University of Northern Iowa in the fall of 1968 and graduated in May of 1972 with a BA degree in Instrumental Music Education. While at UNI he took part in many band activities and was a member of Pi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

In June of 1971 Curt was united in marriage to Peggy Paulsen. After graduation in 1972, they moved to Melcher, Iowa, where he was the band director for two years. In 1974 he began teaching 5-12 band at English Valleys Schools in North English, Iowa. In North English, Curt was a volunteer fireman and Rotary member and was on the Knoll Ridge Golf Course Board of Directors. In September of 1979, Curt and Peg welcomed their son Colin to the family. On Oct. 10, 1980, Peg passed away after a lengthy fight with cancer. Curt spent two more years teaching at English Valleys. In June of 1982, he signed a contract to be the high school band director in at Nevada High School in Nevada, Iowa. On July 16, 1982, Curt married Linda Burggraaf and moved to Marshalltown, Iowa, where Linda was teaching.

Curt spent the next 15 years building the band program at Nevada High School, where his passion for teaching and playing music was evident and contagious. He left a positive, lasting impression on many of his students. In 1990 he began working during the summer for Gazaway and Associates, doing community built projects for school and city park playgrounds. In 1997, Curt left education to work full time for Gazaway and Associates. In 2005, Linda retired from teaching and together they moved to West Des Moines, Iowa. Curt continued to work for Gazaway and Associates (Boland Recreation) for a few more years and then worked at Hammer Medical two years. Following that, he delivered Meals On Wheels for five years through their Des Moines operation.

From 2006-2021, Curt directed the West Des Moines Community Band. Curt was honored and humbled when, upon his retirement from the directorship, the band had a special song commissioned for him. He was involved with the Junction Jazz Society, played at church in the Hope Orchestra, and also had a Chapel Brass group that performed in the Chapel at Lutheran Church of Hope, where he and Linda have been members since 2005. Curt also volunteered with the instrumental music programs in the Waukee Community School District.

Besides all his musical activities, Curt enjoyed gardening, spending time with friends, golfing, and being a grandpa. He was a devoted and loving grandfather who enjoyed hosting sleepovers and family Thanksgiving, fishing in the backyard pond with his grandkids, teaching his grandsons how to play various instruments, traveling with Linda, and taking RV trips with Linda and their grandsons to places like Mt. Rushmore, The Badlands, and Yellowstone National Park. Curt never met a stranger and was the first person to happily offer to help someone in need of assistance.

Left to cherish his memory are Linda, his loving wife, his son Colin of Philadelphia and granddaughter Alice, his step-son, Mike Burggraaf, daughter-in-law Sarah, and three grandsons, Zach, Drew and Jake; brothers Gene (Sue) Schroeder, Perry (Julie) Schroeder, and sister Gay (Karl) Kreder and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.

In death he has rejoined his first wife, his parents, in-laws, and grandparents.

A memorial service will be held at Lutheran Church of Hope, 925 Jordan Creek Parkway in West Des Moines, on Tuesday, May 6, at 11:00, with a luncheon to follow. A memorial fund is being established in Curt’s name and can be sent to Lutheran Church of Hope at 925 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines, IA 50266.

A link to watch the funeral service stream can be found here: https://wdm.lutheranchurchofhope.org/funeral-livestream/