Obituary of William H. Schulz

William H. Schulz of Cedarburg WI went peacefully to heaven and joined his forever bride on January 12, 2019.

Bill was born in Milwaukee WI in 1929, the first child of Wilhelm and Mildred Schulz (nee Schmidt). Within a few years, his father died unexpectedly and Bill moved to Wisconsin Rapids with his mother and two younger brothers. After several difficult years, his mother was unable to support him, and at age 14 he moved on his own to Rudolph WI and began working. He enlisted in the National Guard in 1947 and graduated from high school in 1948. He then enlisted in the US Air Force and served as a staff sergeant at Okinawa for two years during the Korean War. During his enlistment, his mother passed away. When he returned from Okinawa he enrolled in UW Madison. He and Jean had been dating and writing to each other, and Bill was deeply grateful for her part in burying his mother while he was away serving his country. He proposed to her in 1953 and they were married in June, six weeks later. They both worked while he went to college, and he graduated from UW Madison in 1956 with an electrical engineering degree.

After graduation he was hired by General Electric. This was the beginning of a long and productive career. He started out as an application engineer and retired 36 years later as Vice President of Utilities Sales. This work took him, his patient wife, and three children all around the United States. They lived in Indiana, New York, Missouri, Kansas, and Michigan, finally coming full circle back to the Milwaukee area. Bill and Jean were residents of Thiensville for over 40 years.

After retirement in 1992, Bill and Jean traveled all over the world, studying history, art and culture. They were both active members of Advent Lutheran Church in Cedarburg. They were very involved, both financially and in volunteering, in programs such as Prison Ministry, Bob’s Under the Bridge, parish nurse, church fund-raising, and English as a Second Language education. Bill also volunteered on many community boards. He was especially involved in developing Lakefield Adult Day Care in Grafton, active in the Board of Luther Manor, and instrumental in developing their Hospice Program. Jean was a resident at the Luther Manor Care Center in her last years, and Bill steadfastly sat with her all day, every day, until her passing in 2016. They were married 63 years.

After Jean’s passing, Bill lived independently at Lasata Heights in Cedarburg, and chose to leave this earth from his own home. He was in good spirits, laughing with visitors and family, up until the end. His faith was strong, and he looked forward to going home to his Lord. He will be lovingly remembered as someone who appreciated beauty, found the best in others, and left the world a better place. Bill will be sadly missed by his children, Stephanie (Tim) Selisker of Burnsville MN, Jennifer Schulz of Grand Marais MN, and Thomas (Debby) Schulz of Oak Creek WI; grandchildren Jon (Teresa) Scarpace, Blaire Selisker, Brooke (Zach) Vidlund, Clay (Kia) Gruber, and Lily Gruber-Schulz; great-grandchildren Lauren and Mason Scarpace, and Theo Lowery. He is preceded in death by his loving wife, Jean (nee Wall), his parents and his two brothers.

The visitation for Bill will be held on January 17, 2019 from 3-5 pm, with service to follow at 5:00pm, at Advent Lutheran Church, W63N642 Washington Ave, Cedarburg WI 53012. Rev. Dr. Janis Kinens will be officiating. Entombment will take place privately at Forest Hill Cemetery in Wisconsin Rapids WI. In lieu of flowers, memorials would be appreciated in Bill’s name to Advent Lutheran Church.