Verona Provost Schroeder

Some people learn to be caregivers.  To many, it’s something that comes naturally.  Verona Provost Schroeder, who passed away on September 19, 2021  at age 87, was one of the naturals.  She was a caregiver to hundreds of hospital patients and she was our family’s caregiver, in every sense of the word.

Born and raised in Crosby Minnesota, Verona graduated from St Mary’s College Duluth in 1955 as a Registered Nurse.   As the story goes, there was an Air Force base at the Duluth airport and there were two nursing colleges in town – an ideal situation for nursing students and young airmen alike.  Verona and Al Schroeder were set up on a blind date by friends and eventually, on a date at the Duluth zoo, Al asked the big question.  Her response: “Sure.”

That led to a partnership of 66 years that produced three children and required many moves to Air Force bases around the US.  Licensure in 7 states as a hospital RN was followed by 10 years of occupational health nursing in Bloomington MN.  There was also church volunteering and, of course, caregiving both for family and in the form of helping friends at a Texas retirement community manage their home healthcare.  Retirement could hardly be called settling down, as they moved from Wisconsin to back northern Minnesota, spent winters in Texas for a few years, and finally moved back to western Wisconsin to be near family.

Preceded in death by parents Oscar and Olga Provost, brothers Francis, Donald and James, and sisters Lois Fort, Kathryn Johnson and Carol Dionne; survived by brother Charles Provost (Nancy) and sister Terri Williams, husband Alex, sons David (Evy) and Mark (Connie), daughter Nancy Lescarbeau (Bruce), 4 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.  

A Memorial Mass will be held 11:00 a.m. Friday, October 1, 2021 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Crosby.