Edwin M. Schroeder, 87, a former mayor of Grayslake and retired executive with Zenith Electronics Corp., died Tuesday, June 11, in St. Therese Hospital in Waukegan. Mr. Schroeder, who was born in Chicago, worked in Zenith’s Chicago plant to pay for attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business, said his wife, Esther. Mr. Schroeder served in the Army in Europe during World War II and met his wife in 1947 at an Amvets dance that “neither he nor I wanted to go to,” his wife said. They married in 1948 and moved to Grayslake in 1949. Mr. Schroeder, who received a law degree from DePaul University, eventually served as Zenith’s corporate secretary before retiring in 1982. Mr. Schroeder was involved in several Grayslake civic organizations, including the Lions Club, of which he was president for two terms, and he served as the village’s mayor from 1977 to 1989. When he was mayor, Grayslake’s population grew by more than 20 percent. He also started the process that would connect the village to Lake Michigan water. After he left office, Mr. Schroeder remained active in Grayslake’s civic affairs. Other survivors include two sons, Edwin Jr. and Evan; a daughter, Esther DiMatteo; two sisters, Bernice Bartell and LaVerne Heelein; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday in Strang Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 410 E. Belvidere Rd., Grayslake. Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Monday in St. Gilbert Catholic Church, 301 E. Belvidere Rd., Grayslake.
