Maria Richmond Schroeter passed away at her home in Pacific Palisades on October 23. She was 81. ”Maria was born on February 2, 1923 in West Medford, Massachusetts. She was a descendant of Mayflower passenger John Howland through her father (Samuel Waterson Eldridge) and was related to Lord Nelson through her mother (Marian Louise Rothe). She and her three brothers (Marck, Bill and Robert) and her sister (Dorothy Peck) grew up in Arlington. ”After moving to San Francisco during World War II with her mother, sister and brother, and later settling in Los Angeles, Maria began her long career with UCLA in 1945. She left in 1950 to marry Ernest Huband Schroeter. The couple had a daughter (Christina Carol ‘Tina’) and a son (Carl Christian). ”The Schroeters moved to the Palisades in 1960, fulfilling a dream Maria had held since driving through the community on Sunday afternoons with her mother and brother many years before. Coincidentally, she and her husband actually became engaged while parked on a vacant lot at Sunset and Marquez overlooking the ocean, just around the corner from their eventual home. ”When both children reached junior-high age, Maria returned to UCLA in the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. She joined the Law School staff in 1974 and worked until her initial retirement in 1988. She then worked privately for David Mellinkoff on his law dictionary and retired a second time in 1992. She remained closely associated with UCLA, spending time in the Geography Department (where her daughter has worked as an administrator since 1985), supporting the department through Friends of Geography and assisting her daughter with the department’s annual fundraiser. ”Son Carl is a successful builder and is married with two lovely daughters. ”Following Ernie’s passing (in 1991), Maria and her daughter continued to share the Palisades residence and Maria enjoyed commuting to the campus with her on an almost daily basis. The two also enjoyed purchasing, restoring and driving vintage Mercedes-Benz automobiles, particularly the 1967 600 limousine they drove to the Santa Barbara Biltmore Hotel for the Christmas holidays. ”Maria was a lifelong avid reader, especially enjoying works on the Civil War and the American Revolution. ”She is survived by her daughter Christina Carol, her son Carl Christian (wife Christine), daughter-in-law Sandra Rayl (partner Ian Goodwin), granddaughters Kathryn Rose and Isabel Marie, brother Robert (wife Phyllis), nephews and nieces, and very dear friends and long-time neighbors Rudolf and Jeanne Meyer. ”In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be directed to Thirty-seventh Church of Christ, Scientist and mailed to the church at 15201 Bestor Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.
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