Eldon L Schroder

Eldon Leon Schroder, 91, of Sioux City, died Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Friday at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3700 Indian Hills Drive, in Sioux City, with theRev. Todd Schlitter officiating, assisted by Rev. Sheryl Ashley, and Rev. Eric Sayonkon. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m. and a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Homes, 1801 Morningside Ave., in Sioux City.
Eldon was born on Jan. 1, 1926, in Melvin, Iowa, to Leonard and Ida (Salzman) Schroder. Eldon graduated from Ocheyedan (Iowa) High School at age 16. He continued his education at Iowa State University and graduated with a BSCE in 1946. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was a member of the V-12 program in Ames, Iowa and Urbana, Ill.
Eldon married Elisabeth Clause on July 30, 1946 in Gary, Ind. They had five children. He moved the family to Sioux City in 1956. At the time, he was the first registered engineer working for Younglove Construction and W.A. Klinger. He specialized in grain elevators and his work covered the Midwest. He became a licensed pilot while working for them.
In 1960, he formed Schroder Engineering, P.C. and expanded the types of structures he designed. Over the next 57 years, projects he was involved with appeared over the entire Siouxland area. In 1979, he began E.L.S. Construction. Those companies operate today as Bacon Creek Construction, Inc. and Bacon Creek Design, Inc. Eldon retired from his life's work as a structural engineer on April 11, 2017.
He had a passion for mentoring students, especially from Western Iowa Tech Community College and Iowa State University. He gave them summer jobs and often hired them after they graduated. He was very proud of their later successes as their career paths took them to various parts of the country.
Eldon had a brilliant mind and loved sharing his knowledge of construction, history, nature, and all things mechanical, often pulling out his pencil to draw an illustration of his subject.
As a community volunteer, he was on many boards, all of whom benefited from his expertise, and he took pride in giving back to the Sioux City community. Honors include, 31 years on the Board of Western Iowa Tech, Anston Marston Award from the Iowa Engineering Society, Century Member of the Boy Scouts of America, Distinguished Service Award by the Iowa Commission of Persons with Disabilities, State of Iowa Governor's Volunteer Award, Pride of Sioux City Award , and a long list of others.
Surviving are his daughters, Jan (Bill) Burke of Dakota Dunes, and Dottie Guilbert of Otsego, Mich.; sons, Ron (Sherrie) Schroder of Sequim, Wash., and Rex (Marcia) Schroder of Sioux City; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Bob (Jeanine) Schroder of Cherokee, Iowa, and Bill (Linda) Schroder of Huntsville, Ala.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Elisabeth; daughter, Judy Williams; granddaughter, Kelly Quinton; and two sisters, Bonnie Hembd and Jeanne Miller.
Memorials may be directed to Western Iowa Tech (WIT) Foundation for student scholarships, 4647 Stone Ave, Sioux City, IA 51106.