Obituary of Caron Jo Schroeder

    Caron Jo “C.J.” Schroeder, (Chinese name Lum Mei Ling) was one of two daughters of Philip Joseph Lum and Lillian (Park-Li) Lum. She was born on August 13, 1948, in San Francisco, California and grew up in that city.

    She was united in marriage to Shawn Olen Schroeder on December 30, 1995, at the Grace Lutheran Church in Pittsburg, California.

    Along with taking care of her family and keeping their household running smoothly, C.J. also held down a secretarial position with ROLM Corporation, a technology and communications company based in California. Eventually, she was promoted to technician, then technical trainer and service manager before becoming the Director of Field Operations.

    While she found great satisfaction in her occupation, C.J. always made time to spend with her family, especially when three grandchildren were added to the mix. She enjoyed entertaining and making new friends - quite often hosting a dinner gathering as she was an excellent multi-ethnic cook. Traveling with Shawn or going on an afternoon shopping spree were other favorite pastimes for C.J.

    She was a proud veteran, having served in the United States Army Reserves for nine years, and belonged to the Arthur W. Kirchhoff American Legion Post #288 in Hartley, Iowa. She was also a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sanborn, Iowa, participating in various church related activities over the years.

    On Monday, March 10, 2025, C.J. passed from this life at the age of 76 years. Preceding her were her father, Philip; her mother, Lillian; and sister, April.

    Keeping her memory close at heart are her husband, Shawn Schroeder of Sanborn, daughter Dinia and her husband, Erik Paananen of Napa, California; grandchildren: Troy and his wife Meghan Paananen of Klamath Falls, Oregon, Colleen Paananen of Napa, California, and Allison Armstrong of Sacramento, California; great-grandchildren: Otto and Konrad Paananen; many brothers and sisters from a blended family; a host of other relatives and many dear friends.