Jay C. Schrader, 81

MESA, Ariz.—Jay C. Schrader, 81, passed away on January 31, 2017, in Mesa, AZ of kidney cancer metastasis. He was born Jan. 9, 1936 in Del Norte, Colo. to William C. “Bill” and Gwendolyn “Jackie” Schrader.  
Jay graduated from Del Norte High School in 1954, from Ft. Lewis College at Hesperus, “The Old Fort” in 1956 and Colorado College in Colorado Springs in 1959, where he attended on a football and basketball scholarship.
On Aug. 10, 1957, Jay married his high school sweetheart Nancy Ann Getz. Nancy graduated from Beth-El School of Nursing on Memorial Hospital as an RN.
In 1961, Jay and Nancy returned to Del Norte to help Jay’s parents expand their business, The Model Café and Dining Room and Schrader’s Lounge. Jay also began working for Rominger’s Plumbing and Electrical Hardware which he and Nancy purchased in 1968 and renamed JAHO Hardware. Jay and his business partner, Howard Varndore, were licensed plumbing, heating and electrical contractors.
Nancy was the after hours bookkeeper. After Howard resigned to relocate, Jim Yates became Jay’s partner.  They were joined by son Jeff and daughter-in-law Tammy, and later became True Value Hardware.  
In the ‘60s, Jay and Nancy joined the Del Norte Jaycees and the Jayceettes, thus marking the beginning of a life committed to serving their community. Jay was elected to the Del Norte Town Board and served two terms; he was then elected to be mayor for two more terms. He was mayor during the Colorado Bi-Centennial Celebration in 1976. Jay and his children built a large “76,” carried it up Look Out Mountain, reassembled it and connected it to electricity and displayed it all summer. The Jaycees lit fireworks of the mountain on the 4th of July to celebrate. At the same time the town board filled and sealed a time capsule to be opened in another 100 years.
Jay also served on the Del Norte School Board, the Del Norte Cemetery Association Board, Del Norte Rotary as President and member, Del Norte Volunteer Fire Department for eight years, was “1987 Citizen of the Year” by the Del Norte Chamber of Commerce and was on St. Joseph Hospital Foundation Board 1988-1992. He was serving on the board when the hospital closed and was on the board that was able to re-open the Rio Grande Hospital in January 1996. He received the Del Norte Rotary “Paul Harris Fellow Award” in 2009, was a charter member of the Look Out Mountain Observatory Association 1990-2016, a member of the Mineral-Rio Grande Health Care District 2011-2016 and the Rio Grande Hospital Board of Directors 2011-2016. Jay was elected to the Del Norte Bank Board of Directors 1992-2010 and elected chairman of the board in 2010, retiring in 2016.  
In addition to being an integral part of the community, Jay was first and foremost a family man. In the early days, he could often be found playing outside with the kids, pulling them on inner tubes and racing down streets on sleds in the winter. The Schrader family loved the outdoors, and every Fourth of July went camping. They spent much of their free time hiking, rock hunting and four-wheeling in the mountains. Jay was part of a flying club and would sometimes fly his boys to Judo tournaments in Denver and Albuquerque.
Jay and Nancy loved to travel. Their favorite family vacation destinations were to Phoenix, southern California, Disneyland, Rocky Point, Mexico and Hawaii. A major trip in 1989 was with the Senior Softball Team of Scottsdale, Ariz., with Jay as a relief player on the team to London and parts of Europe. In 1990 they traveled to Australia and New Zealand. On to Florida to attend all five of Kent Rominger’s Space Shuttle flights starting with STS-73 in 1995, then ’80, ’85, ’96  and ‘100. Jay and Nancy have also enjoyed multiple vacations to the Hawaiian Islands with their children and grandchildren even as recently as June 2016.  Jay’s favorite pastimes were playing golf, watching the Denver Broncos, hosting five foreign exchange students from Mexico, Chili, two from Germany and Denmark and relaxing on the deck of their cabin on the Rio Grande River.  
Jay in survived by his loving wife Nancy of almost 60 years; sons Jeff (Tammy) of Del Norte; Michael (Amy) from Phoenix and daughter Julie (Bill) Sauvigne of Del Norte; his grandchildren Janel, Emily, Daniel, Ann, Megan and Will; and his brother William R. (Nina) from California. He was preceded by his parents Jackie and Bill and his brother Scott.
Cremation was chosen and a memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 11 a.m. at the Pioneer United Church in Del Norte. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his honor may be made to the Rio Grande Hospital in Del Norte, attn. Arlene Harms, CEO.  Arrangements are by Rogers Family Mortuary in Alamosa.