William Schultz Sr

William Kenneth Schultz was a true “Renaissance Man”. Bill was born to Herman and Vesta Schultz on May 27th, 1925 in Glen Ullin, North Dakota. He was their middle son, with an older brother Donald, and a younger brother Roger. Bill spent his youth in Glen Ullin developing a true love for small-town North Dakota life and loving, close family bonds. North Dakota never left him, and he frequently returned throughout his life, even into old age. He retained the family home after his mother's death until his own death. One of his favorite childhood memories occurred at the family farm. He laughed until he cried, recalling how he and his brother Donald leaped from haystack to haystack shooting toy pistols at each other. He frequently helped out on the family farm and spent many summers living and working on local farms. Bill grew up working hard and developed a sense of duty and responsibility. In high school, he became smitten with his future wife, Louise Martin. During the beginning of World War ll, Donald was captured by the Japanese. Bill felt he had to help the war effort and, at the age of 16, traveled to Tacoma, Washington to work in a shipyard as a machinist. Later, he joined the Merchant Marines. He wanted to join the U.S. Navy but was not allowed to quit his job in the Merchant Marines. He joined the Navy anyway and told them, “You can't stop me.” He returned to Bismarck, North Dakota to enlist. It was necessary to pass a test for color blindness to qualify, and it was then that he learned he was color blind. However, he was told he could join a new unit called the Sea Bees, the Navy's construction battalion. So that is what he decided to do. Bill spent the duration of the war in the South Pacific. Because he was young and “green,” he didn't know you never volunteer in the military. When volunteers were requested, he raised his hand to join a mosquito eradicator unit, also known as the Skeeter Beaters. Malaria, caused by mosquitos, was killing eight times more servicemen in the South Pacific arena than died at the hands of the enemy. Some of his accounts were published in a book entitled “Skeeter Beaters,” by Bob Cline. When Bill returned from the war, he followed his high school sweetheart, Louise Martin, to San Diego, where they later married on November 12th, 1948. They were so in love, they went to Yuma, AZ to elope. There they were married by a judge at midnight. A few days later, they had a small church wedding back in San Diego. In quick succession, Diane, Phyllis, and Bill, Jr. were born. In San Diego, he became the manager of Morrow's Nut House. Soon after the birth of Bill, Jr., they decided to move closer to North Dakota. They picked Billings, MT as their new home. There, he briefly worked as a Fuller Brush salesman, and then as a new home builder before finding his career working for Carter Oil refinery (which later became Exxon Oil.) His daughter Mary was born in 1957, soon after they moved to their new home on Fox Drive, where they lived for many years. At the age of 50, Bill retired from Exxon. Before he retired, he and Louise bought a small Speed Queen laundromat, near downtown Billings. Soon after, he built a brand-new, magnificent Speed Queen laundromat across the street. We used to call him “The Laundromat King”. Bill and Louise owned and operated the laundromat for many years before selling the business and really retiring. Why Bill was a “Renaissance Man”. When he died, one of the many books on Bill's side table was entitled “Leonardo”, a biography of Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci was the original “Renaissance Man”. What is a Renaissance Man? It is a man subscribing to the idea that men should try to embrace all knowledge and develop their own capabilities as far as possible. Bill Schultz exemplified that ideal. He was a prolific reader and, after he died, some of the diverse magazines that were found on the side table near his recliner were Forbes, Smithsonian, Time, and Popular Mechanics. His interests and knowledge were wide and deep. Listed are some of the other reasons Bill Schultz was a “ Renaissance Man”: ~He was a sapphire miner. In the early 1980s, he and Louise bought a lot and trailer in Sapphire Village, near Utica, MT. Along with his brother-in-law, George Martin, and his wife Viola, they spent many summers digging for sapphires. It was arduous work, but they found many sapphires and had good times with the many friends they made there. ~He was a stone cutter, he taught himself how to facet gems and then faceted the gems he found. Generously, he gave them away to his family members. He was a member of the Billings Gem and Mineral club. ~He was a fisherman. He loved nothing more than fishing in the rivers of Montana and North Dakota, catching trout and walleye. ~In 1946, he won the North Dakota state doubles table tennis championship, along with Jimmy Streitmatter. ~He played musical instruments. He learned to play piano as a child and then went on to master the accordion. He also played the guitar. ~He was a bowler, skier, igloo builder, and donut maker. He loved to work with wood. He learned the craft from his father and always had a workshop in his basement, which includes today a jigsaw that belonged to his father. ~He was well-read and self-taught in many areas. He had a thirst for knowledge. ~He was a tycoon in the stock market and spent many hours on the computer monitoring his stocks. ~At age 93, he bought himself a convertible Mercedes sports car. ~Always a lover of the latest technology, we were the first on the block to have the “magical” Radar Range, the original microwave oven, and also one of the first color televisions. ~He was a jack of all trades and could fix anything from cars to can openers. Bill was admired and well-loved by his wife Louise and his family, friends, and neighbors. He was truly a great man and genuinely will be missed by everyone who knew him. He lived a life of integrity, was humble, kind, hard-working, reliable, and always a gentleman. They don't make them like that anymore! Bill is survived by his loving wife of 73 years, Louise; daughters Diane (Sini) Kengike, Phyllis Walker, Mary Schultz, and son William R. Schultz; grandchildren Sini Kengike, Jr., Noah Kengike, Andrew (Genevieve) Walker, Katherine Walker, David (Courtney) Walker; great-grandchildren Allen Walker, Devon Walker, Kiara Walker, James Adams III, and Tyson Walker.