"RON KNEW HE IS SAVED BY GOD'S GRACE ALONE."  (He wrote in third person in wavering handwriting, but unwavering faith.)

A Detroiter for 75 years, Ronald R. Schultz passed away on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 in Ypsilanti in the care of his children, at the age of 81.  Ron was born to William and Amelia Schultz at Harper Hospital on March 7, 1943.

After earning his first amateur (ham) radio license in middle school and graduating from Cass Tech, Ron attended Wayne State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Shortly after, he began work at Bell Telephone Labs in Chicago (the Google/Apple/Tesla of its day), working on relay logic. During his research there, he applied for and was granted United States Patent #3,534,175 for private branch exchange conference circuits.  (It would not be his last invention. During the 17+ years of Parkinson's at the end of his life, Ron developed all sorts of work-arounds to assist in addressing his limited movement and control - such as a secure, rotating, adjustable hutch system that helped him use an iPad to communicate when it would otherwise have ceased working for him.)

In 1974, after five years in Denver, he came back to Detroit and joined MichCon as a communication consultant. During these same years, he produced a weekly radio segment showcasing the preaching and choir at Epiphany Lutheran Church. He also acted as the announcer and operations manager of the said weekly Lutheran Pulpit broadcast for 15 years on WEXL in Detroit.

Ron made one of the weekly trips to deliver the broadcast tape to WEXL on a day after an ice storm had taken out power to some Royal Oak neighborhoods. Along the way, he made a visit to Sandra Vandermark's family home (who he had met at MichCon) and, as he told it, "started a fire in Sandy's heart" by restarting their furnace.

On June 13, 1981, he married Sandra - the beginning of a 42-year marriage.  They had four children, whom Ron sought to bring up as leaders: first by teaching them at Warwick Hills Christian Vocational Academy ("homeschool" wasn't a big enough name for his aspirations), then by exhorting them throughout their lives to ask questions, learn more skills, and pursue excellence.

As a senior maintenance engineer for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, Ron became a trusted eye for inspecting systems, and it took him everywhere: he observed equipment tests across the US - and in Tokyo, England, Germany, Switzerland, and Finland. He also loved to tout the taste of Detroit's highly-rated water to anyone who would listen, often remarking, "That's DWSD Water!"

A mission trip to Venezuela that Ron joined with his fellow members at Guardian Lutheran Church speaks to a couple of his lifelong interests: construction and the body of Christ. In Barquisimeto, Ron helped build a home into a church. Throughout his life, to the very last days, Ron's children remember him always working on and teaching them to help with home projects. Adding over 100 power outlets to the family home, wiring every room for a total of 18 phones, converting a closet into a needed first-floor bathroom—that was so Ron. He also contributed this energy back into the church, serving for 12 years on the Works Committee and providing countless tools, hacks, and bits of constructive criticism for the maintenance staff.

He is remembered for noting the importance of returning a tool, be it an axe or a pen; the appreciation of beauty, be it in elms or strawberries; affection for family, and the creativity wrought by his interest in problem-solving.

Having finished his earthly toil, Ron has gone to the arms of his loving savior Jesus Christ.  He leaves his widow, Sandra as well as his sons and daughter, Paul (Michelle), Mark, John (Elizabeth), and Joy [Brian], and 4 grandchildren: Claire, Lucy, Jeanne, and Felix.  He is survived by his brother, Bill Schultz, his sister Karen (Joe) Swafford, his niece, Christine (Jim) Gold, his nephews, Jim and Michael (Shauna) Swafford, his sisters-in-law, Donna (Rick Hartsoe), Cinda, and Judy Vandermark, and other extended family and friends.  He was predeceased by his parents, William Schultz and Amelia (née Rakow) Schultz, his nephew Joe Swafford III, and his brother-in-law, John Vandermark.

Visitation will be at Santeiu & Son Funeral Home, 1139 Inkster, Garden City, MI 48135, on Friday, April 12, from 2-4 and from 6-8 PM.  Visitation will resume at 10 AM on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Guardian Lutheran Church, with the funeral at 11 AM; a luncheon will follow.

2 Timothy 4:7-8: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

I love you, and Jesus loves you even more!