Earl William Schultz

Earl William Schultz was born on April 26, 1934 in Charter Oak Township, the son of William and Olinda (Kutschinski) Schultz. He was baptized, confirmed, and attended school through the 8th grade at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hanover Township, Charter Oak. Earl's formative years were marked by some of the most challenging periods in our nation's history; the Great Depression, World War II, the farm crisis of the 80s.

He was drafted into the United States Army in 1957 and proudly served until his honorable discharge in 1959. Earl's commitment to his country was true to his character. On June 19, 1965, Earl was united in marriage to Joleen Reicks at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Carroll, Iowa. To this union, they were blessed with three children: Kim, Kreg, and Kyle. They made their home in Charter Oak, Iowa.

Earl was a dedicated member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Charter Oak for many years, where he served as an Usher for five decades. Farming was his passion and he lived that lifestyle every day of his life. He was a farmer and seed salesman for various companies, most notably at Curry Seed. He also worked at Crawford Ice in Denison for two seasons and was the Crawford County Township Assessor for several years. Earl had a knack of taking a piece of bailing wire and crafting it into a new part in order to keep a piece of farm machinery operating. The commodity markets and the weather were the most important news every day.

In his leisure time, Earl found joy in simple pleasures. He was known for his love of playing cards and dancing, especially to Polka music. One of his favorite pastimes was watching Molly B Polka Party on Saturday nights, a tradition that brought him great happiness. Earls’ love for broasted chicken, bacon, and ice cream was no secret to the family and made it easy to plan family meals. Above all, Earl loved his family more than anything.

Earl passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on Thursday, July 18, 2024 at his home in Charter Oak attaining the age of 90 years, 2 months, and 22 days. He was preceded in death by his parents; 3 brothers-in-law, Milroy Groth, Gene Schneider, and Rick Reicks; two sisters-in-law: Kathy Reicks and LuAnn Reicks.

Left to cherish his memory is his loving wife of 59 years, Joleen Schultz of Charter Oak; children: Kim and her husband Rory Plough of Charter Oak, Kreg Schultz and his wife Julie of Lawton, and Kyle Schultz and his wife Christy of Charter Oak; 6 grandchildren: Travis, Courtney (Aaron), Katie (Chase), Kurtis, Carson, and Loryn; sister, Marlene Schneider of Denison; a host of other relatives and friends.

Visitation with Family Greeting Friends will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 22, 2024 at St. John's Lutheran Church - Fellowship Hall in Charter Oak. Earl's Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Charter Oak with burial to follow in St. John's Lutheran Cemetery in Charter Oak. Memorials may be directed to the family.