COOS BAY

Michael Schrader’s life seems to have gone full circle in a couple of ways.He was born in North Bend, left for a number of years to go to college and work, and then returned home to pursue a career. He’s now the funeral director for Coos Bay and North Bend chapels, Ocean View Memory Gardens and Sunset Memorial Park, having concluded his internship and gained licensing as a funeral director.

“When I first went into a funeral home, I went into a funeral home to live there,” Schrader said, from his front-row seat on a pew in Coos Bay Chapel. “Most people grow up in the field.”

The 39-year-old grew into it. He graduated from Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham with a degree in mortuary science in June 2007.

He came back to his birthplace to help families he grew up with in what could be their most difficult times.

“My goal is to make them, when they leave, have some relief, comfort and confidence that I’m genuinely here to help them, and to make every family feel like they’re the only family I’m helping,” Schrader said.

Schrader graduated from North Bend High School in 1987. His early interest was in physical fitness, and he still enjoys activities such as, running, bottom fishing, clam digging and bow hunting. While attending Southwestern Oregon Community College he worked for his father, Jim Schrader, over the summers at International Paper in Gardiner. He became intrigued with the field of corporate fitness.

“I knew that I needed to go to college, but I didn’t know what to do,” Schrader said. “I loved sports, so I took the corporate fitness pathway at SWOCC.”

In 1990, he enrolled in the corporate fitness program at the University of Oregon and moved to Eugene. His goal was to eventually start a fitness program at International Paper.

“I wanted to move back home and work here,” he said.

But after one term, the university dropped the program.

“I kind of just lost my direction,” Schrader said.

Inspired by his stepmother, Marianne Schrader, a teacher, Schrader earned his bachelor’s degree in education at Western Oregon University in 1993. But it was a tough time for prospective teachers in Oregon.

“There were 250 applicants for 25 positions,” Schrader said. “I didn’t make it in.”

Knowing he had to wait another year to apply again, he went through a period of frustration.

“College educated with no work experience — good luck getting a job,” he said.

He found one at a semi-conductor company, Siltec Silicon in Salem, although he admits he knew very little about the business.

“I even pronounced silicon, ‘sil-i-cone,’” he said, laughing.

He started out working nights, 12-hour shifts, for $6.25 an hour.

“I worked my way up quick because I had a degree,” he said.

Schrader and his first wife moved from Wilsonville to a room above a funeral home in Woodburn.

“It was creepy,” Schrader said. “But it as a nice chapel and, gosh, a lot of money was saved.”

Seven years later, they were divorced. About the same time, Schrader’s company announced it would shut down in a year.

In 2000, Schrader, who was then living in Newberg, decided to move back to the funeral home to work and enrolled at Mt. Hood Community College.

While working at the Woodburn chapel, he learned to deal with gang killings and murders by not passing judgment.

“Somebody loves everybody,” Schrader said. “Even if they were an indigent, they were a baby at one time who had a mother.”

Schrader eventually remarried, and he and his wife, Cristina, now have a 2-year-old son, Tiago.

Tom Boynton, owner of Coos Bay and North Bend chapels and Ocean View Memory Gardens and Sunset Memorial Park since 2005, said he employs 10 people full time and nine part time. Most of them grew up in the Bay Area.

Boynton said he and Schrader have a lot in common. At 40, Boynton is almost the same age as Schrader. Boynton also is native to the Bay Area, only from Coos Bay. He started working at the Coos Bay and North Bend chapels when he was 16 while he was still attending Marshfield High School. Both of them live in homes located at North Bend Chapel, which Boynton says allows them to be there for people 24 hours a day.

“Schrader is exactly what I was looking for in a funeral director,” said Boynton. “It’s unusual to have local funeral directors come back and help families. He helps families just the way I’d like to help families.”