Lawrence Schiedermayer, Appleton… 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 at the bird feeder and waiting for his son Brett to finish cooking an egg for him. 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.
He worked at Thilmany and Paper half-time in high school. Following graduation he enlisted in the Navy. After the war, he attended Lawrence University and married the love of his life, Audrey Mattes. After graduation he 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 process. In 1968 he was named vice president of Resources and Services and held that title until his retirement in 1987.
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.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025, with visitation from 9:00 – 11:00 am at the First Congregational Memorial Garden, 724 E South River St, Appleton, WI 54915. A memorial service will immediately follow visitation at the same location. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Boy Scout Troop or the Children’s Bible Fund at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, to ThedaCare at Home Hospice, or to the Fox Valley Humane Society.