Gary Michael Schroepfer

Gary M. Schroepfer passed away at the age of 84, on January 27, 2026. He was born September 5, 1941, in New Ulm, Minnesota to Albert "Spin" and Myrtle Schroepfer. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, and both brothers, John and Tom. Per Gary's wishes, there will be no service. Arrangements are with Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.

Gary graduated in 1959, from St. Mary's High School in Sleepy Eye Minnesota. He enrolled in the University of Minnesota, where he majored in Economics-Statistics before graduating in 1963. Gary furthered his education by completing post-grad classes at the Universities of Minnesota and Chicago. Gary enlisted in the United States Army in 1963 and served his country for a total of six years (6 months active duty at Ft. Leonardwood in Missouri and 5 ½ years with the Army Reserves.) In 1963, as he continued serving in the Army Reserves, he began a career in the Railroad industry, that spanned over a 33-year length of time.

His dedicated career within the Railroad industry, mostly involved finance-related responsibilities; primarily analysis of the cost of freight traffic for pricing decisions, marketing strategies, working through Railroad mergers, and corporate planning. He designed costing systems, supervised costing departments, performed statistical analysis, testified in legal proceedings, and conducted numerous seminars on principles and applications of costing systems-Gary loved Public Speaking. One of his many accomplishments was assisting with preventing the Milwaukee Railroad from a second bankruptcy (first bankruptcy in the 1920's).

Gary spent a tremendous amount of his career teaching others but also believed in continuous professional development to enhance his education and overall knowledge. He completed the Dale Carnegie course of Professional Development in 1967 and stated it was one of his best professional decisions. Gary continued his love of public speaking as he especially enjoyed being asked to speak at numerous universities, regarding railroad costing and pricing systems. He was often described as the "#1 Railroad Costing Expert" in his field of expertise and as a guest lecturer within these universities. He took pride in writing various articles on Concepts and Methods of costing systems. Gary stated he remembered being very honored by receiving a call from the Association of American Railroads which they stated they had a "dire need for Gary's specific skills."

One of Gary's most proud accomplishments involved being asked to serve on a Special Project Committee (Passenger Trains not being cost effective) in Chicago for two years, during 1965-1966, with other well-known professionals, such as world renown Statistician W. Edwards Deming. In the late 1960's and early 1970's Gary was a key player in compiling a Variability of Cost report that influenced changes in the Railroad industry. Gary gained and shared professional experience through numerous railroad employers, including Northern Pacific, being his first job upon graduating college in 1963. His railroad career included employment with Burlington Northern, Milwaukee Railroad and the Chicago, Burlington, Quincy Railroad, before retiring in 1996, the last six years with Canadian Pacific as Director, United States Costing. Upon retirement, Gary returned to New Ulm to care for his brothers as their guardian.

For more than thirty years of his life, Gary remained an avid sports fan. He attended numerous Minnesota Vikings games, three Super Bowls, annual trips to the Indy 500 and specifically enjoyed attending Masters Golf Tournaments.

In 2018, due to the effect cold weather was having on his medical concerns, Gary was forced to leave Minnesota for a warmer climate. He lived in a retirement community in Sherman, Texas through the end of his life.