Carpenter who couldn't afford school saved every penny from his job—then changed the lives of 33 poor kids
There is a different kind of passion that boosts people when they strive to get something they couldn’t have. An elderly man named Dae Schroeder from Iowa had this kind of passion fueling him for the 67 years he worked as a carpenter, CBS News revealed. The man died in 2005 and left no family behind. However, he left behind a legacy that transformed the lives of 33 poor youngsters. Having spent all his life alone modestly, there didn’t seem to be much to the man. Yet, there’s always more than what meets the eye and when he passed away, this was uncovered in a mesmerizing way.
Schroeder's friend, Steve Nielsen, revealed that the man always kept to himself, had no wife or kids. For 67 years, he worked hard, with humility and determination. "He went to work every day. Worked really hard. Was frugal. Like a lot of Iowans," Nielsen remarked. Working throughout these years, Schroeder had a heart-melting goal in mind. This goal was revealed only when he passed away. While many had the stereotypical idea that a carpenter couldn’t have left much behind, the man stunned many with what he had to give. Turns out, Schroeder had quite a fortune he’d saved deliberately.
When Nielsen spoke to his lawyer, he was jaw-dropped at the amount revealed, KCCI Des Moines reported. "Finally, I was curious and I said, 'How much are we talking about, Dale?' And he said, 'Oh, just shy of $3 million.' I nearly fell out of my chair," he recalled. But through it all, these savings were for a specific purpose. The carpenter never had a chance to go to college. He must have longed for someone to give him the opportunity. So when he grew up, he worked hard to earn millions and ensure that he was able to give that very privilege to not one, but as many as possible.
Schroeder was able to fulfil his wish most generously. He managed to fund the tuition of 33 kids. One of them, Kira Conrad, expressed her gratitude on behalf of all. "I grew up in a single-parent household and I had three older sisters, so paying for all four of us was never an option," she said. She wanted to become a therapist but because she couldn’t afford it, she was heartbroken to keep it just a dream. "[It] almost made me feel powerless. Like I want to do this. I have this goal, but I can't get there just because of the financial part,” she remarked. And a stranger’s kindness changed everything.
Recalling the day she received the call stating that Schroeder had taken care of her tuition, she was over the moon. "I broke down into tears immediately," she said. One can imagine how the remaining 32 held their hearts in gratitude to the selfless carpenter. Now, doctors, teachers, therapists and many more, the group refers to themselves as “Dale’s Kids.” They will never forget this life-changing gift but Nielsen hopes they can go beyond remembering. "All we ask is that you pay it forward. You can't pay it back because Dale is gone, but you can remember him and you can emulate him,” he shared.