John Schroeder, 73, picked the proverbial “last bit of cheese off the tinfoil of life” on October 20th, after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s.
It was a crummy (pita) way to go, yet we urge you to celebrate John’s kindness, humor, care, and terrible puns. All John ever wanted was for us to be happy. And to laugh. Born in 1953, John spent his childhood surviving madcap adventures that would’ve made Mark Twain blush, flummoxing East Rome school administrators and tearing up the local football fields while toe-tapping and knuckle-thumping every floor, desk, table, door, book, pot or pan he encountered. We thank God he was introduced to the drums. The trajectory of John’s life changed the day his best friend Paul told him, “You HAVE to go to Camp Mikell,” an Episcopal summer camp in Toccoa, GA, run by counterculture hippies and weirdos who just happened to be the best people on earth. John’s time at Camp Mikell helped to deepen his understanding of the cosmos, broaden his worldview and sharpen many of his tremendous gifts. He found a community that loved him and gave him an outlet for his limitless love for everyone else. For John, Camp Mikell was the closest thing to a formal college education: he drank a lot of beer, he got smarter, and he met the love of his life, Tracy Woolf.
John and Tracy built an incredible life filled with laughter, food, music, wonderful friends and two bright and creative sons, James and Bryan. With Tracy’s support, the newlywed couple embarked on a journey that would define their lives: the opening of Schroeder’s New Deli.
In 1981 (three days after Bryan was born), Schroeder’s New Deli opened with help from friends, family, and his brother and business partner, Charlie. Schroeder’s was — and continues to be — successful beyond our wildest dreams. Internationally praised and locally loved, Schroeder’s New Deli has been the beating heart of downtown Rome for 45 years, helping revitalize historic Downtown Rome, GA, feeding generations of customers, and using the courtyard to give a stage to countless musicians and bands. For hundreds of thousands of people, it’s a touchstone, tied to friends, family, and some of the best times of their lives. This is John’s legacy. Not wealth, not fame, not status, but his service to others and the boundless joy he brought to people’s lives. ALL people.
For guests and employees alike, Schroeder’s New Deli will always be a safe and welcoming place. John Schroeder was a great son, husband, brother and father, a prolific drummer and music maker, a lover of weird cats and strange dogs, and relentlessly generous with his time and talents. His best trait was his ability and desire to bring people together. His best virtue was believing that bringing people together matters. He will be dearly missed.
John’s last wish was to name his honorary pallbearers: Paul DiPrima, Paul O’Mara, Paul McCartney, Paul Pitts and Paul Pierce.
In lieu of flowers, please ask the next Schroeder you see about a goat with no nose. Bonus points if you ask how it smells. (Actually, please consider making a donation to Camp Mikell (https://campmikell.com), Giving Kitchen (https://givingkitchen.org), or DIGS Inc. (https://digsrome.org).
John is proceeded in death by his parents, B and Bob Schroeder, his sister Louise Branham, nephew Geoff O’Hara, and his Niece and Goddaughter, Jesse Wooten. He is survived by his wife, Tracy Woolf Schroeder, his sons, Bryan (Danielle Bonner) and James, his granddaughter Elizabeth Reed, his sister Mary Schroeder McDonald, his brothers Charles (Suzanne), George Schroeder, and Bill, his sister in law Carey Woolf Wooten (Marshall Wooten) and his brothers in law Wesley Woolf (Elizabeth) and Bob Branham, his nieces Pamela O’Hara, Caleigh Schroeder, Linley Branham (John), and Mary Katherine, Amanda Schroeder, Eliza, Grace Wooten Turner (Ryan) and Lane Wooten and his nephews Christian (Kristen), Cory, and Cantrell and 11 great nieces and nephews.
Thank you to the team at Heyman Hospice for helping John exit life with dignity at home and with relative ease.
Service details: Public visitation on Friday, October 23rd at Daniel’s Funeral Home and Cremation Service from 6PM – 8PM. Memorial Service on Sunday, November 8th at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, tentatively scheudled for 2:30 PM. Public reception at Schroeder’s New Deli to follow.
