‘Stan-The-Man’ to keep watch over public school’s baseball field
The “fly high” spirit of Stanley “Stan-The-Man” Schroeder is now on forever devoted diamond duty. A metal memorial bench honoring the late Schroeder has been placed just south of the home team dugout at Mountain Lake Public School’s baseball field – the perfect spot from which to encourage players to, “Play ball!’
The 57-year-old Schroeder passed away on Friday, March 17, 2017, at Methodist Hospital in Rochester, surrounded by his family. A Mountain Lake Public High School Class of 1977 graduate, Stan was on the mound as a pitcher and also played second base during high school for the Laker baseball squads prior to sports pairing, when the team became the Mountain Lake Area Wolverines. In addition, he was an integral cog in the rejuvenation of the Munson Field athletic complex baseball and softball fields 15 years ago, carrying on the legacy of support for high school athletics begun by his late father, Bob Schroeder, also a Mountain Lake Public High School alumnus.
The bench, crafted by master welder and fabricator Jeremy Hall of Butterfield, sports Stan’s memorial on the front, accented by Mountain Lake batting helmet, baseball mitt, catcher’s mask, baseball – and crossed bats. The back of the bench hails Stan’s nickname – “Stan-The-Man.”
The new seating was presesnted, with love, by Stan’s “in-laws” – the “Oeltjenbruns Family” – the parents and siblings and their families of his wife, Monica. The memorial project was led by Stan’s mother- and father-in-law, Walter and Margaret Oeltjenbruns of Mountain Lake, along with sisters- and brothers-in-law, Diane and Jim Adrian and Theresa and Stan Adrian, all of Glencoe; Eileen Adrian of Mountain Lake; Jim and Sherry Oeltjenbruns of Rochester and Keith and Kim Oeltjenbruns of Kasota and their families.
And, the bench has been put in place just in time for the annual Mountain Lake Pow Wow Alumni Baseball Game tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, June 17); first pitch at 12 noon. Stan was a longtime participant in the game – both as a player and a coach. On hand to check out the memory bench on Thursday, June 15, were Monica Schroeder, and Stan and Monica’s sons and grandchildren, Adam (wife, “Sam”) Schroeder, Declan and Zaiden of St. James and Mitch (wife, Erica) Schroeder, Mikaya and Kennedy of Mountain Lake and Kyle Schroeder of Mountain Lake (special friend, Ashley Kroeger of St. James).
