Ann Brandenburg-Schroeder

Ann Brandenburg-Schroeder, known to her friends as Anna, passed away at her home in Lakewood, CO on her 73rd birthday, June 28, 2021. Ann was born at Holy Family Hospital in Estherville, Iowa to Irma Catherine (Neppl) and Clements James Brandenburg. She was the second of nine children in the family.

Ann attended public school in Armstrong, Iowa, and high school at St. Benedict High School in St. Joseph, MN. She attended Duchesne College of the Sacred Heart in Omaha, NE and graduated from Metropolitan State College in Denver and CSU College of Veterinary Medicine in Fort Collins, CO. During her career as a veterinarian she ran an emergency veterinary clinic in Arvada, CO, and later established Beside Still Water, pioneering in at-home pet euthanasia. Ann served as President of the Colorado Veterinary Medicine Association from 1993-1994. Ann’s career as a veterinarian led her to be involved in many aspects of human/animal bonds and numerous volunteer activities, including with the Denver Zoo.

In 1969 Ann married John Schroeder in Denver; they later divorced. In 2014 she married her long-term companion, Dr. Richard M. Wright.

Ann was an avid gardener and practiced yoga throughout her life. She also enjoyed rock-climbing and collecting Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. One rarely saw her without a stylish hat to complete her ensemble. Ann was preceded in death by her parents Irma and Clem, her husband Richard and older brother Stephen. She is survived by her siblings David Brandenburg and his wife Melinda of Bella Vista, AR; Bernard Brandenburg and his wife Rose of Ash Flat, AR; Lea Dau and her husband Arlen of Cumberland, RI; Neil Brandenburg and his wife Jane of Fenton, IA; Lora Rahe and her husband Tim of New Ulm, MN; Alan Brandenburg of Algona, IA; and Wendy Buchholz and her husband Tiger, of Bellevue, NE. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Kris Brandenburg, Stephen’s widow, of Armstrong, IA; 32 nieces and nephews, 62 great nieces and nephews, 7 great great nieces and nephews . . . and counting.

Ann died of ALS and has established a non-profit, Raggedy Clan, to provide housing for people with ALS and for their immediate families.