Neil Schroeder of Portland died January 5, 2016 in Portland. He died peacefully while a patient at Maine Medical Center, where he had been admitted the day before.

Neil was born in Cleveland, Ohio on November 12, 1930 to parents Gilbert and Louise Schroeder. He grew up there with his brothers Bob and Larry. Neil graduated from Shaw High School where he was a member of the National Honor Society, orchestra, and choir. He matriculated to Brown University, where he majored in English and taught there before moving on to Yale University, where he received his doctorate from the graduate school in theatre history.

Neil taught in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts for 40 years. While there he started the Clark University Players Society and was president of Phi Beta Kappa.

He was an exceptional actor and performed on the stage in many productions. One of his last performances was a run in Worcester and Boston of Samuel Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape,” a one-man play for which he received very favorable reviews. Additionally, this performance was part of a group of Beckett productions produced by CUPS and performed in Krakow, Poland, where the group had been invited to perform these plays in English. This was a fine ending to a long career.

Neil retired in 2000 and moved to Portland to be nearer to family members. He was most recently a resident of Birchwoods in Portland. He was passionate about good food, loved to cook and was an avid gardener. He loved spending time at his cottage on Ocean Point and in the last eight years loved to be with his grandsons, Owen and Sam. In his final years he really enjoyed going for drives and looking at the scenery.

Neil is survived by his children, Rolf, Melissa, and Ken; his good friend and former wife, Sylvia; his son-in-law, Henry Bliss; his grandsons, Owen and Sam; his sister-in law, Ginny Schroeder; his nephews, David and Matthew; and various relatives from marriage and friends.

A celebration of Neil’s life will be held on Sunday, Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. at Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Road, South Portland. A reception will follow. Another celebration will be held at Ocean Point this summer, at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ocean Point Colony Trust, P.O. Box 642, East Boothbay, ME 04544 or Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay, ME 04537.