Dorothy Jean Schroeder

Dorothy was born on July 22, 1928, in the Pilchuck Valley near Machias, Washington, to Edward and Lorus (Thomas) Gemmer. She was the fifth of six children and an avid student, quickly developing a love for history and writing—both of which played an important role throughout her life. She began her first novel at the age of eleven and was fond of saying she “was born with a pen in her hand.” She graduated from Snohomish High School in 1946 with honors, just days before moving to Soap Lake in eastern Washington, where her parents had purchased a small motel, the Evergreen Court.

She was enchanted by the sun and wind of the desert and bought a horse, Banner, which she would ride through the sagebrush-covered hills. She helped start the Soap Lake riding club and loved exploring coulees and caves with her friends. Through this hobby, she met her first husband, Jack Roeder. They were married in New Mexico, where he was stationed on a cattle ranch. The marriage was short-lived, and Dorothy returned to eastern Washington, where she supported herself and her infant daughter, Jackie, working as a “hello girl” for Ma Bell, connecting telephone calls on a switchboard.

In early 1956, Dorothy’s former mother-in-law, Frances Roeder, asked if she and a friend could come to visit, bringing along Ken Schroeder, a young farmer from Quincy. They became engaged just a few months later and were married on July 21, 1956, in Snohomish County. In the years that followed, they welcomed a son, Dale, and a daughter, Bonnie, and built a life for their family on the farm. Dorothy continued working at Ma Bell, and retired in 1983 after 25 years of service.

She eventually found time to complete two novels: The Legend of High Lonesome Ridge (published 2014) and The Dark Side of the Rainbow (published 2013). She also returned to her love of history, tracing the Thomas and Gemmer family genealogies through the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and back to the arrival of the Mayflower. Her two historical non-fiction books: Pilchuck Valley Reflections (published 2012) and Daisy Moore, My Hoosier Grandmother (published 2017), were both entered into the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Library. She was a longtime member of both John Kendrick Chapter DAR, and the National Society of Mayflower Descendants. She also wrote numerous short stories, articles, editorials and poems that were published.

As her children grew and started families of their own, she cultivated strong family ties, calling and writing to relatives and organizing large annual family reunions that brought together siblings and extended family. After her husband Ken passed away in 2001, she grew even closer to her family, with her two daughters becoming a constant source of support and companionship.

In her final years, she loved nothing more than sitting with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, sharing her stories—a fitting final chapter for a lifelong author.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings, Edson, Daryl, Quenton, Millie, and June; and her husband, Ken.

She is survived by her children: daughter Jackie Lopez and her husband, Gabriel, of Quincy, Washington; son Dale Schroeder and his wife, Michelle, of Goodyear, Arizona; and daughter Bonnie Schroeder and her husband, Al, of Quincy, Washington; as well as ten grandchildren and their spouses: Sam Longoria, Benj and Lisa Lopez, Melanie and Jim White, Tisha and Jason Miller, Gib and Victoria Lopez, Summer and Levi Gamble, Ken Schroeder, Cassie Schroeder, Gillian and Guy Valdes, and Dain Schroeder, twenty great-grandchildren; Faith, Seneca, Serefina, Zane, Mia, Kobe, Israel, Quinton, Ellie, Ahava, Clay, Emery, Asher, Camille, Bennett, Lily, Hawkins, Ember, Suvi, Vesper and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at noon, Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Pioneer Church (415 F Street SW) in Quincy, WA. If desired, memorials may be directed to the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum.

Dorothy’s family will miss her dearly and is grateful for the long and full life she lived.