Sylvia D. Schroeder died peacefully and with grace and dignity on Feb. 28, 2017, with family and friends at her side.

She was born Sylvia Luella Dowden on June 15, 1931, in Helena, Montana to Ethelbert and Josephine Dowden. Shortly after birth, Sylvia moved to Chile where her father worked as a mining engineer. Her early years there influenced her continued love and interest in native American culture and peoples throughout her life. At age 9 she returned to Helena to begin school, spending subsequent time in Chile or Peru during school breaks.

In Helena, Sylvia lived with her grandparents Harry and Anna Piggott and was enrolled in the public schools. When she was a month old she was taken to the family cabin outside of Lincoln, Montana. Identifying as a Montanan her whole life, the cabin remained her spiritual home throughout her days. Her heart was there and subsequently in Maine: her ashes will be spread in these two places per her request.

Educated in New England, Sylvia graduated from the Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island in 1950, then attended Middlebury College and then Brown University, where she met her husband of 25 years, Neil R. Schroeder. Sylvia then received her MSW from the Smith School of Social Work. She raised her family in Worcester Massachusetts, and had a career at the Worcester Youth Guidance Center, where she became the director of social work and a valued consultant.

In 1970 Sylvia vacationed with the family in Boothbay, and was hooked. The coastal community of Ocean Point became the family’s summer home where they developed many life-long friendships. Moving to Brunswick in 1985 and then subsequently South Portland, she continued her career in social work, retiring from Community Counseling Services in 1998. She enjoyed serving on the board of The Baxter School for the Deaf and continued to volunteer for a variety of community endeavors for many years.

Sylvia’s home near Willard Beach in South Portland was a place where family and friends gathered frequently. She was an excellent cook, loved the outdoors, and enjoyed knitting, reading, her incomparable pets, and walking on the beach. She traveled often between Ocean Point and Montana, with her last visit to her beloved cabin just this past September.

In retirement, Sylvia embarked on many travels with close friends to different parts of the world including Morocco, Egypt, China, Italy, Chile and Peru. She was active in many causes her whole life and wasn’t shy about expressing her opinion.

Sylvia is survived by her children: Rolf Schroeder of Helena, Montana;  Melissa Bliss and her husband Henry, of Cumberland, Maine; Kenneth Schroeder of Woburn, Massachusetts; and her two beloved grandsons, Samuel and Owen Bliss, as well as her extended family and many dear friends.

The family would like to express its gratitude to her friend Marlene Heffernan, the compassionate staff at Village Crossings in Cape Elizabeth and to VNA Hospice.

A celebration a gathering will be held on March 11 at the Purpoodock Club at 300 Spurwink Ave. in Cape Elizabeth, Maine at 11:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Ocean Point Colony Trust in East Boothbay or The Five Valleys Land Trust in Missoula, Montana. Arrangements are under the guidance of Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland.