Lawrence A. Schiedermayer

Larry “Buck” Schiedermayer, age 98, died on January 12, 2025 in his own home, sitting at his kitchen table with his favorite clothes on and his shoes on. He was looking out at the bird feeder and waiting for his son Brett to finish cooking an egg for him. He lived a long, loving, productive and dignified life, filled with love and humor. His death was caused by Lewy Body dementia and aortic stenosis, but with the help of hospice and wonderful caregivers, he enjoyed all his time to the end of his days.

Larry was born in Appleton on January 13, 1926 and grew up in Kaukauna. He learned to swim in and around the locks on the Fox River. He lettered in football and track and won the Lang Award for outstanding senior. In high school, he also began working half-time at Thilmany Pulp and Paper. 

But the war was on. In 1943, at age 17, he enlisted in the Navy V-5 Air Corps and reported for active duty upon graduation. He began flight training at Emory and Henry College and learned to pilot the Stearman biplane. The Stearman was a two-seater aircraft resembling a crop-duster, with two open cockpits. During a flight test, his instructor asked him (through a listening tube attached to his ear) if he had his seat belt on. Larry nodded yes, and the instructor immediately turned the plane upside down. Larry found himself dangling upside down in the air, held in by the belt and holding on to the training throttle for dear life. The instructor yelled, “Let go, I need to control the plane!” Larry did let go of the throttle and lived to tell us the moral of the story: always tell the truth. During his training, he became a member of a Navy boxing team and had a 9-2 record. He was honorably discharged on June 30th, 1947.

After the war, he attended Lawrence University with the help of the GI Bill and was the editor of the yearbook and a member of Beta Theta Pi. At Lawrence he met the love of his life, Audrey Mattes, and they married two years after they graduated in 1951. They had a long and happy marriage of 64 years until her death in 2015.

Upon graduation from college, Larry resumed work at Thilmany Pulp and Paper. He helped invent and market the lumber wrap technology which is still used today to protect dimensional lumber during shipping. He was also a member of the team that rejected the use of PCB-contaminated material in Thilmany’s production processes. In 1968 he was named vice president of Resources and Services and held that title with various responsibilities until his retirement in 1987 after 39 years with the company. He was also active in the community, serving as president of the Rotary Club of Kaukauna, and helping with the Rotary nutritional food supplement program for malnourished children. He also volunteered at the Fox Valley Humane Association and found special satisfaction in matchmaking between dogs and potential adopters.

Larry enjoyed the challenges of do-it-yourself projects and took pride in building a cottage at the bottom of an 80-foot hill on Long Lake. He loved gardening, planting trees, and hunting and fishing. He and Audrey transformed a sandy cucumber farm into a forest, planting over 37,000 trees. 

Throughout the years, he was active in church and in church leadership, including Trinity Lutheran church and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. At the time of his death, he was a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ, Appleton.

He is survived by his two sons and their wives, David and Kim Schiedermayer and Brett Schiedermayer and Leahi Kaulia. He is also survived by grandchildren Jon Schiedermayer (special friend Laura), Ellie (Sam McColley) Schiedermayer, Mason and Koa Schiedermayer, great-grandsons Desmond and Weston McColley, granddaughter-in-law Clare VanderWoude, many wonderful nephews and nieces, childhood friend Bill Glaff, and numerous friends and neighbors whose company he treasured.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, August and Luella (Krause) Schiedermayer, his wife, Audrey (Mattes) Schiedermayer, his sister Laverne Femal, his brothers Gene Schiedermayer and Jack Schiedermayer, his grandson Dan Schiedermayer, and his grand-daughter-in-law Rebekah Gelinas. 

Larry’s Funeral Service will be held at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 724 E. South River Street in Appleton, on Friday January 24, 2025 with visitation from 9:00am until time of service at 11:00am with Reverend Nick Hatch officiating.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Boy Scout Troop or the Children’s Bible Fund at First Congregational United Church of Christ, to ThedaCare at Home Hospice, or to the Fox Valley Humane Association.

Larry’s last years were made comfortable through the excellent care of ThedaCare at Home Hospice, along with Dr. Michael Johnson, Dr. Christa Andrews-Fike, nurse Matt and nurse-practitioner Bonnie, CNAs Deziree and Holly, and Chaplain Sam. He had an extraordinary team of home caregivers, Rose, Kate, and Tonya, who made his life at home possible, talking with him, cooking tasty food, and helping with the activities of daily living. 

We are thankful for Larry’s life, and for the optimism that he demonstrated every day. As he would say: “Bye for now."

Lawrence Schiedermayer's Kudoboard | Kudoboard