Louie Schultz Jr.

Louie Schultz, Jr. was born on July 28, 1930 and passed away on Sunday, December 4, 2022. A devout Christian, he served as a Southern Baptist deacon for over 60 years . He was a loving father and grandfather. He loved his church and was a longtime faithful member of East Gardendale Baptist. He is preceded in death by his wife Martha Robinson Schultz, parents Louie and Maybell Schultz, and sister Kathleen Reynolds. He is survived by his brother Billy Schultz; his sons Louie Gary Schultz (Shelia), and Randy Schultz,Sr. (Laurin); his grandchildren Louie Gary Schultz, Jr., Kevin Schultz, Rebecca Britt, Tamara Yitram, Randy Schultz, Jr., Amanda Schultz; great-grandchildren Trevor, Elijah, Kaitlyn, Megan, Oliver, Kamryn, Ellie, Wendy, Theo, Ruth, Tallon and Alina Louie.

A visitation for Louie will be held Wednesday, December 7, 2022 from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM at East Gardendale Baptist Church, 360 Tarrant Road, Gardendale, AL 35071, followed by a funeral service at 2:00 PM.

Louie will be laid to rest in Forest Hill Cemetery, 431 60Th St N, Birmingham, AL 35212.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutsgardendalechapel.com for the Schultz family.

Eulogy:

Thank you all for coming to this celebration of Dad’s passing on to heaven. And Gary I love you big brother and I suppose we are too old to finish that last childhood fight that Dad had to break up. What a wonderful home and childhood our parents provided.

We will bury dad today but his spirit will live on in heaven and in our memories of his life’s true stories. For example his stories about helping his grandpa ford on his farm quarterbacking in football games at West Jefferson High hitting home runs at West Jefferson against all rules racing army ambulances on the deserts in Arizona during his army training in 1950 sleeping overnight alone in old Japanese quonset huts on Alaska’s Aleutian islands when he delivered medical supplies during the Korean war driving my mother and month older brother across the rockies from Cal to Bham in dec 1952 in a 1939 Chevrolet.

Taking down power lines on south Alabama roads with a peanut harvester that was just a foot or so too tall. Working 2 physically demanding jobs to support us.

Building a new church with a group of men and women because he loved the Lord.Leading a faith based hunting club for over 20 years, being there when every grandchild was new and

being a Christian leader always.

His stories of life were endless and he lived in a era when America was more simple and respectful of God.

We are going to bury a body today but we will never bury his spirit, a Spirit that drove him with an energy and love of life that I and most will never have and one that caused him to give unconditional love to his family.

In many refreshing ways dad was not one to let petty rules or political correctness stand in his way. He believed that all of the bible was God’s word and if it was not being followed he was not afraid to say so. Not judgemental or petty just God’s word.

With mothers help he gave the lord at least a tithe every week and he also tithed with his time. He sometimes dealt us discipline with righteous anger but I never heard him use a curse word.

I wish I had time for story telling. He was born in the depression, was a medic in the Army and survived the Korean war by virtue of a fluke accident. The bulk of his medical company was killed in the war.

He was part of America’s greatest generation. I respect his memory as a son would but also as an American Patriot and Christian believer.

His life was a victory for Jesus and he lived for Christ, the USA and his family and friends.

I have thought of two songs for several days now as we watched him die. Both secular but part of the lyrics of one are "the leader of the band has died and his eyes have grown cold but his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul. My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man. I am just a living legacy of the leader of the band."

And the other lyrics memories may be beautiful and yet what’s too painful to remember we simply choose to forget. So it’s the laughter that we will remember whenever we remember the way we were.

In closing and in dad’s fashion I think he would want me to use his life for one last appeal. If you don’t know Christ find him. Thanks for it all Dad. I love you.