Ted Schroeder moves on
Ted Schroeder, an active and much loved resident of Rendezvous Cottages in George, passed away on Saturday 2 March at the age of 96. Ted was often featured in the George Herald alongside his wife, Kay, for their musical and craft activities at RLR. He was a WWW2 veteran and served in an RAF squadron of flying boats, Catalina's, protecting South Africa's coastal waters against enemy U-boats. Ted was the flight engineer of Aircraft B and loved the job. Unfortunately he was injured and required extensive surgical treatment to both kidneys and was discharged medically unfit.
He was born on 13 August 1922 in the tiny mountainside village of Ugie in the Eastern Cape and excelled at school, but a shortage of money cut short his education as he had to work for a paltry sum to help his family survive. Going to night school he was able to obtain his matric and joined a firm of patent agents in Johannesburg.
Ted married Kay in 1958 and the couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on 5 April last year. They eventually went farming near East London , breeding pedigreed Jersey cows and building a sound reputation for their work.
In 1975 they built a stunning fifth wheeler caravan designed by Ted and crisscrossed South Africa, Namibia and Swaziland for 10 years in their Chrysler V8 and caravan before settling on a farm near East London.
Kay says he was admitted to Lyttelton where the care and kindness made his last days comfortable. "I cannot praise them too highly and appreciate all they did for him. He went peacefully and is probably having fun learning to play the harp! Ted said he did not want a memorial service, but a wake without the whiskey! The wake will take place in the Rendezvous Cottages dining room this coming Monday afternoon at 14:30, so please start thinking of things you remember that you can tell the wake."
Ted is survived by his wife Kay, a stepson in the USA, Alan Hincks, stepdaugher Sally Collett and grandsons Gordon Hincks (UK), Colin Hincks
(USA) and Kenneth Collett (Gauteng).
Sally, who lives in Gauteng, was able to visit for a few days as did grandson Gordon from the UK.
This meant a lot to Ted and Kay is extremely thankful for their visits.