Jeffrey Lynn Schroeder

It is our honor to share with you these stories of the spirit and heart of Jeff Schroeder. Jeff passed away November 3 2023 and will be eternally missed by his wife, Georgia Milan, his daughters Julia Milan and Genevieve Schroeder, his sisters Katherine and Janet Schroeder, and his many loving friends.

He was born in the Rio Grande Valley in TX in 1949 and had three younger sisters who he helped care for. They would say “in the morning, he put on his responsibility before he put on his clothes.”

He was funny, sweet and strong. He pushed himself to test his limits. As a sophomore in highschool he was selected to travel by bus to Mexico City to compete for a spot in the junior olympics as a backstroke swimmer. He loved to make people laugh. In his school newspaper he drew satirical cartoons, featuring a spirited giant eyeball. He found joy in writing. At eighteen he was filling notebooks with poetry examining his relationship with himself, those he loved and the world around him.

He fell in love with music and believed in its power to have a positive effect on the world. Through the course of his life he wrote thousands of songs. He lived off the grid in a cabin and worked as a carpenter while he helped create three records of original music. He liked to recount that he did all of this while being kept awake most nights by his cat running back and forth across his roof. The song Harvest, written when he was barely out of his teens, speaks volumes to his constitution:

“Every kid in Sunday school knows that you reap just what you sow.

Just when you think that it’s all done

Another harvest has just begun.

Lord, take these crops and feed the hungry and the cold.

Lord, take this grain and give it to the poor and the old.”

Of his songs he would say “I used to think I was writing them, but now I realize that they were writing me.”

He was a prolific bassist and guitarist, playing with a litany of famous musicians (though you would rarely hear him speak about it). His bandmates joked that he was ‘paid by the note’ as a bassist–Jeff believed this often overlooked rhythm instrument deserved a starring role. His bass playing idol was Jaco Pastorius. He continued his love of music for the rest of his life, but decided to return to school and look towards his goal of having a family.

The University of Texas awarded him his BA, MA and Ph.D in psychology. In grad school he staffed the suicide hotline, sometimes working several overnight shifts in a week. He strove constantly to understand the human mind and emotional pitfalls of life. Throughout his career as a psychologist, he was dedicated to easing the suffering of his patients.

In 1985 Jeff went on a blind date with Georgia and fell head-over-heels in love with her wild spirit. They were married in a small church in Austin, serenaded by Georgia’s brother on the accordion playing “Love Me Tender”.

The newly-weds had a daughter, Julia, in Austin TX while finishing up their studies. They moved to the Mescalero Native American Reservation and worked in healthcare. They had their second daughter Genevieve, then moved to Pocatello Idaho. They fell in love with the community and high desert hills, and stayed for six years. Wanting horses and more rural life, they moved to the Bitterroot Valley in Montana where they would live for the next 20 years.

Though he continued to play and write music, Jeff was careful not to be pulled completely into the life of a musician. He was aware it could be all consuming and was deeply dedicated to being a present father and husband.

Jeff started suffering from physical problems and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Georgia and Jeff decided to “go home” to Pocatello, to their community of loving friends. Jeff continued to be strong and selfless through years of declining function. He taught many of his most powerful lessons during this time–about acceptance and the resilient power of love. When he had to give up driving he became notorious for giving incorrect directions from the passenger seat, then acting surprised when the destination turned out to be the local ice cream spot. “Well, I guess we better go in and get a cone while we’re here!”

Eventually, he was unable to play instruments, which was a heavy blow. Until his death he would still sing, joyously and often. He was known for filling the hallways of the nursing home with melody.

We want to pay special tribute to Femi Oloaye who helped take care of him at home. Thank you to all of the staff at MonteVista Nursing Home who brought quality care, dignity–and candy–to our beloved Jeff. Thank you to Georgia and Tommy Wiggins for preserving an old suitcase of Jeff’s writing throughout all these years, for his family to know the man he was before them. We could not have endured the trials of Jeff’s illness without our dear friends Diana and Gary Shipley, Kaye and Roger Turner, as well as many others who gave us their love, food, kindness and time. With joy we release Jeff from the suffering he braved to go shred bass in a heavenly band filled with his heroes.

“Stretch out your legs and feel the cradling earth;

Reach out your hand and touch the encircling sky;

Lift up your eyes, and be a bridge

Of sunlight—be a river

Of knowing—be a parade

Of happiness”

–J.S.

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