Stewart George William Droeger Jr. of Waupaca, Wisconsin, age 85, passed away on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 at 11:25 p.m. at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Stewart was born at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin on August 25, 1934 to Stewart George Droeger and Leone Bonikowske Droeger. The family moved to Seymour, Wisconsin in 1943. Stewart graduated from Seymour High School in 1953 and enlisted in the US Navy on December 8, 1953. He served honorably in the U.S. Navy for 20 years as a Communications Specialist with a final rank of Petty Officer First Class on various ships and shore stations including the USS Richmond K. Turner and the USS Duluth during the Vietnam War. He was awarded five Good Conduct Awards (20 years of service), Vietnam Service Medal (5 stars – 5 Vietnam War Campaigns), National Defense Service Medal (1 star) as well as a Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon Bar (Heroism and outstanding actions of unit) and a Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross). Stewart married Yueh Chiao Lin at the American Embassy in Taipei, Taiwan on October 24, 1963 and spent 38 years together until her passing in 2002. They moved their family to Waupaca, Wisconsin in 1973. He worked for a cheese company until his retirement in 1999. He was a baseball coach and an avid Packers and Brewers fan. He was the captain of both the Trinity Lutheran Church and the Waupaca Seniors dartball teams. He was a loving father and excellent grandfather, always remembering everyone’s birthday with a card.
He was preceded in death by his father, Stewart; his mother, Leone; his wife, Yueh, and his sister, Barbara. He is survived by his girlfriend, Rin Ludvigsen; his five children, Sue (Dave) Keller, Terry (Jenny Weber) Droeger, Stewart III (Nichole) Droeger, David Droeger, Alan (Candy) Droeger; nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and cousins, Warner Halverson and Jan Mulder.
Burial services with full military honors will be held on November 1, 2019 at 2:15 p.m. at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, Wisconsin. He will be buried next to his wife in the cremation garden area which is located at the top of the second hill adjacent to the upper parking area (first road to the right all the way up to the top of the second hill).