Gracie "Jane" Schroeder, age 85, of Peoria IL passed away June 29, 2022 following a rapid decline with her daughter and grandson by her side.

Born December 7, 1936 to Eliza Jane and Carl Raymond Selman in Peoria IL. She married Donald Lee Schroeder December 13, 1959 in Roanoke, IL they had two children, Terry Lee Schroeder and Kelley Jane Schroeder.

She is survived by her daughter Kelley Jane Schroeder and grandson Donny Lee Schroeder.

Also surviving are her sister-in-laws Carol Selman,  Louise (Schroeder) Baker and brother-in-law Duane (Rachel) Schroeder and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by Donald Lee Schroeder, her son Terry Lee Schroeder, her daughter-in-law Cindy Kay (Harms) Schroeder, her grandson Dylan Dean Schroeder, her mother Eliza Jane (Mingus) Selman,  father Carl Raymond Selman, brother Paul Raymond Selman and sister Nancy Elizabeth (Selman) Gates, mother-in-law Alma (Backer) Schroeder, brother-in-law Floyd (Katherine) Schroeder, sister-in-law Marilyn (Dick) Gerdes and nephew Jordan Schroeder.

Janie attended Pekin High School and started working at Caterpillar right after graduation, as a clerk,  then secretary working various jobs in various divisions of Caterpillar, such as Computer systems programmer, benefits supervisor, data entry supervisor, and retiring as payroll supervisor.

She retired after 45 years at Caterpillar after the birth of her twin grandsons, Donny & Dylan. She adored her grandsons and she wanted to spend as much time as possible with them. She loved taking care of them and exposing them to many activities and new adventures.

Janie fought tirelessly for women's rights, the equal rights amendment and every woman's right to not only work but hold any job and career they desire including sports. She did this so her daughter and future grandchildren would have greater opportunities in their lives to fulfill any dreams they may have. If they wanted to be doctors, lawyers or even astronauts they could. It is because of women like her that girls and women are able to pursue their dreams today.

She was an extremely loving mother and grandmother who would do anything for her children and grandchildren. She raised them with an abundance of love and affection. She taught them empathy, kindness and charity to all people regardless of differences in race, religion, beliefs, etc… and to never judge or hate people but always place yourself in the other's shoes for understanding as there by the grace of god go I and you could have been born into their situation.

If you knew Janie, you knew her love for all things chocolate and royal blue. She loved her pool ,swimming, traveling all over the world with her daughter and visiting her daughter overseas. She loved to exercise and she ate very healthy. Her favorite foods were salmon, salad and sweet potatoes.

She always had a smile on her face and was known for her kindness and friendship to others. You often heard " Janie is such a sweetheart" from those who knew her. She never knew a stranger and would do anything for anybody. She was very funny and mischievous. You always knew that you would have fun with Janie around. Even with Alzhiemer's Janie still kept her sense of humor and her smile will live on in our hearts forever.

Janie's heart was full of love. It overflowed onto all who knew her and those who were lucky enough to cross her path in life.  To miss someone so much means they were extremely special and we were blessed to have her in our lives. She is in our hearts forever and will always be missed. We know she is happy now and isn't in pain. It hurts to lose her, but we will see her again. We can be comforted to know she is now reunited with her family and loved ones and is happy and smiling down on all of us.

Janie was an extremely loving daughter to her mother and took excellent care of her throughout her life. She cared tirelessly for her during her fight with cancer, taking her back-and-forth to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis for the best possible specialized treatment while she worked a full-time job and took care of her family. This love and prioritization of family is just one of many values she passed on to her loved ones.

Janie was taken by the terrible disease of  Alzheimer's. After several years of symptoms, she was first diagnosed in April 2014. It is a disease that robs family and friends of their loved ones and keeps them in purgatory for years. Please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) in memory of Janie so that other families and loved ones have more support and the hope for a cure in the future.

Kelley and Donny would like to extend their gratitude and thanks to Bonnie DePalma RN of Life Matters Care Consultants LLC. for her many years of invaluable assistance in the care and support of Janie as well as her family,  Lynn Sloter LPN, who also provided invaluable care to Janie for many years with great affection and Vitas Hospice nurses and CNAs for their support in her final days and many more too numerous to mention.

A celebration of Life for Janie is planned for the future. Services will be announced here when they are planned.