Clifford “Cliff” Fritz Schroeder

May 4, 1945 – February 16, 2024

Clifford (Cliff) Fritz Schroeder (78) passed peacefully to his heavenly home on Friday, February 16, 2024.  He was surrounded by wife of 57 years, Kathy, and their family.  Cliff went home to Jesus with his faith strong, a constant throughout his life. 

 He was born May 4, 1945, at Kirkland Hospital to Herbert and Marina Schroeder, the third of six children.  Cliff’s early life was spent on a dairy farm in the Totem Lake area of Kirkland. In 1952, the family moved to Woodinville to develop and manage a trout farm that became Gold Creek Park.  The Park became a regional recreational facility with swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts.  The Park even had a paddle wheel steamboat that would take guests from Gold Creek up the river to Lake Sammamish. 

 In 1963, Cliff graduated from Bothell High School, where he lettered in football, gymnastics, and track.  Cliff excelled in pole vaulting and was cutting edge, buying his own fiberglass pole.  He set not only Bothell High School records but district records in pole vaulting and qualified for the class AAA state track meet in 1963.  Cliff was also a competitive swimmer, lifeguard, and certified scuba diver in high school.  Being in the water was a lifelong passion for him!  If you saw a 1960 red Chevy Impala convertible at that time near Bothell High School then you knew it was Cliff Schroeder behind the wheel either taking his fiberglass pole to a track meet or drag racing (some legal, some not).  

 After attending Everett Junior College for a year, Cliff, his dad, his mom and older brother Bob bought a small asphalt paving company from neighbor Ross Watson in 1964.  That business was the beginning of a 57 year career in the family owned construction company, Schroeder’s Watson Asphalt Paving Company.  Cliff became a tough competitor and an innovative businessman.  Watson Asphalt Paving Company was known regionally and admired for their excellent work in road construction, winning numerous awards from Washington State Department of Transportation and several counties and cities.  Cliff worked hard.  He was usually the first one to the office each morning and the last to leave.  Cliff mentored many young employees.  Watson Asphalt was a member of the National Asphalt Paving Association and The Washington State Asphalt Paving Association. Clifford served on the WAPA executive board and was president of the Association in 1985.  

          In 1966 Cliff joined the U.S. Army Reserves and served six years.  In December of 1966 after coming home from Fort Huachuca, Arizona where he completed four months of advanced truck training, Cliff married his high school sweetheart, Kathy Bruzas. 

          In 1970 Cliff & Kathy’s family started to grow with the birth of their oldest son, Sam.  Rick followed in 1972 and Debbie was born in 1975.  In 1974 they bought swampy lake front property on Lake Sammamish.  Cliff transformed the land into a buildable lot and constructed their dream home.  Cliff loved the lake and lived in this home for forty eight years until he passed away.  He treasured time spent with his family: swimming, water skiing, fishing, boating, and camping in the summer and taking ski or Hawaiian vacations in the winter.  Never losing his athletic ability, Cliff, an excellent downhill skier learned to snowboard with his children at the age of 43 when the sport was in its infancy.  He was a generous and gracious host for numerous family celebrations, holidays, and high school reunions.  The Schroeder beach house was always open.  In later years, when the kids were grown, he and his wife took cruises to Central and South America and Alaska.  They also traveled to Germany, Mexico, and Australia where they spent several days in the underground opal mining town of Coober Pedy, in the Australian outback.  After Christmas each year when the paving season was slow, Cliff and Kathy enjoyed road trips exploring the American West.  Cliff had a real spirit of adventure; the destination was usually chosen in advance but the journey getting there was the exciting part. 

 Cliff’s ability to think outside the box and overcome any obstacle in any situation was truly inspiring.  The words, “Can’t be done” were not in his vocabulary.  He touched numerous lives, was a devoted and loyal husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend.  Beyond his work and family, Cliff showed his faith in God by truly being a servant, always there to help those in need and not wanting credit.  He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and business associates.  In the last two years of life, Cliff fought cancer with the same determination and “can do” attitude that was his approach to everything from life to work.

Clifford was preceded in death by his parents and sister Rosemary. He is survived by his wife, Kathy, his three children: Sam Schroeder; Rick Schroeder (Gwynne) and Debbie (Shawn) Hinz,; six wonderful grandchildren, his brothers Bob Schroeder (Audrey), Pete Schroeder (Pam), Steve Schroeder, and sister Susie (Pat) Lapic and his sister-in0law Hildi Bruzas as well as many nieces and nephews and numerous cousins in Wisconsin.  A family graveside service was held March 2, 2024 at Cedar Lawns Memorial Park in Redmond. 

Thank you for sharing your lives and memories with our family!