Douglas Ray Schroeder, 71, of Dothan, Alabama, formerly Clear Lake, Iowa passed on to heaven on September 15, 2025 after a long courageous battle with cancer.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the VFW in Clear Lake on 10-25-25 from 2-4pm for all to attend, raise a glass and share memories. There will also be a Celebration of Life in Alabama for immediate family at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Doug’s name to the Wounded Warriors Project, Shriners or Children’s Hospital of Alabama as these were all charities he supported.
Doug was born April 21, 1954 in Mason City, Iowa to Ronald and Nancy Schroeder. He was the first born of four children. Doug graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1972 where he met Debbie Dye. Doug and Deb were married in 1973. To this union, two sons were born, Stac and Spenc. After graduation, Doug began working for Winnebago Industries in Forest City, Iowa. He left Winnebago in 1981 and started a new career at Curries Manufacturing in Mason City, Iowa. At Curries, Doug worked his way up from floor production, to plant manager, and ended his career there in 2014 as Shared Services Manager. After retiring from Curries, Doug was offered a position in 2015 at Dunbarton Corporation in Dothan, Alabama. He accepted and moved to Alabama in 2015.
Doug started a new beginning in Alabama with Dunbarton as Director of Operations and worked his way up to Vice President. Doug retired in October of 2020 and finally embraced the retired life after a dynamic career in the manufacturing world that he excelled at. While working at Dunbarton, Doug met Debbie Reynolds-Frechette of Dothan, Alabama. Doug and Debbie began a life together in 2016 and were married in 2021. Doug and Debbie worked together for 5 years. Throughout their years together, they loved spending time with family and friends. They enjoyed trips to the mountains as well as Panama City Beach and Carillon Beach in Florida where they were married. From riding their Harley together to working on projects around the house, Doug and Debbie loved doing life together.
Growing up in Clear Lake, Doug loved heading out to the family farm and spending time with family and especially Grandpa Juhl. Throughout his life, Doug never met a tool he couldn’t use or master. He spent countless hours in his shop as he loved “projects” from woodworking to welding and anything in between. There was nothing he couldn’t build or fix. Everything he touched had to be organized, built right and built to last. He loved cars and working on them. He taught his boys everything he knew about being a hard-working man and strived to instill those beliefs and values in them. He succeeded and they are forever grateful. Doug loved helping his boys from coaching their sports to building classic show cars together. Doug was a charter member of the CLASS Car Club based in Clear Lake and fulfilled every role possible in the club from member to president. He loved attending car shows and showing his 1971 Nova SS. Doug’s love of cars was passed down to his sons and he helped them in any way he could from the garage to the race track. Doug also loved boating on Clear Lake and teaching his boys how to waterski and kneeboard. Christmas time was special at the Schroeder house as Doug would spend countless hours decorating the family home which he built himself with Christmas lights, decorations, and figurines. People would come from all around to drive by and see the house while Christmas cards in the month of December always arrived addressed to ”Clark Griswold and Family”. Doug had countless friends and colleagues and whether he was in Alabama or Clear Lake, he knew when someone needed help and he was always there to lend a hand. Lastly, time with his grandchildren was precious to Doug. Whether having sleep overs, giving rides on the riding mower or just enjoying a meal, each grandchild held a special place in his heart!
Memories will be of great comfort, accompanied by laughs and tears by all who loved him. Left to cherish those memories are his wife, Debbie Reynolds-Schroeder of Dothan, Alabama; sons, Stac (Jessica) Schroeder and Spenc Schroeder; his mother, Nancy Schroeder; sister, Vickie Schroeder; brother Jeff (Mary) Schroeder; stepchildren, Hannah (Brandon) Landrum and Paul Frechette; sister-in-Law Deanna (Lowell) Williams; brother-in-laws, Gary Reynolds, Steve Reynolds, and Mark (Emmie) Reynolds; grandchildren, Emma, Carmen, Grayce, Aubrey, Ivy, Cash, Creeklyn and great-grandson, Enzo; several nieces, nephews and extended family.
Doug was preceded in death by his father, Ron; sister, Kimberly; maternal and paternal grandparents.
