Richard Lawrence Schroer was born May 7, 1951, to Larry and Colleen Schroer in Great Falls, MT. He moved to Spokane, WA as a child where he attended Lincoln Heights Elementary and Ferris High School where he graduated from in 1969. In high school, Rick met his wife Danette at the teen dance club off Sunset Highway where they enjoyed dancing. He also enjoyed being in the Gents Auto club with his 1965 GTO. Rick attended SFCC and Eastern Washington University where he graduated with a major in finance. After college, he decided to enroll in the Carpentry program at SCC where he completed an apprenticeship through the Carpenters union with Noise Control.

Rick and Danette married in 1976 and had three children Ryan, Lisa, and Brandon. In 1984 Rick began his own acoustical ceiling business with a partner and then proceeded with his own business in 1996. In 2018 Rick was forced to retire after a stroke, anyone who knew Rick, knew he would have worked until his last breath if he could have. Rick enjoyed teaching his children the family business and had all of them installing acoustical ceilings at one point.

While work was a huge part of who Rick was, Rick was also a real ham and enjoyed making everyone laugh at family gatherings. We enjoyed many summers together boating at Priest Lake where dad pulled us kids tubing, skiing, and through the thoroughfare to Upper Priest Lake. I'm sure we kids can all attest to the first test drive where Rick almost flipped the boat over during an "evasive maneuver", he wasn't always the sanest boat driver.

As he got older Rick and Danette enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren Hank, Leila, and Aelia attending their birthday parties, baptisms, and quality time together. Rick was also a talker and enjoyed meeting people and talking to everyone, even strangers. If you couldn't find him, he was usually talking to someone somewhere telling stories and jokes. He was genuinely interested in how everyone was doing all the time. His favorite games to play with the kids and grandkids were hunchback and kick the can.

Rick is preceded in death by his father Lawrence Schroer and survived by his wife Danette Schroer, mother Colleen, and stepfather Mark Mittlesteadt, sisters Linda Reichert, Karen Finch, and brother Dan Schroer. Sons Ryan and Brandon Schroer, daughter Lisa Barratt, and grandchildren Hank, Leila, and Aelia.

Richard entered peacefully into eternal rest on Friday, February 4, 2022. He will be greatly missed and always remembered for the laughter and love he brought us.

A funeral will be held on Friday, February 18, 2022, at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center at 1 pm.

And a Celebration of Life will be held on May 21, 2022, with location and time to be determined. Please contact the family for details.

Published by Spokesman-Review on Feb. 16, 2022.
 

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