 On
the evening of May 1, 2011, while at home, Earl Otto Schultz
Jr. passed away.
He was born in Klamath Falls, Ore., on May 17, 1950, to Earl
and Dorothy Schultz. As the third generation of his family
in this valley, he grew up working on his father's farm. He
attended Tulelake High School, lettering in multiple sports,
and was awarded "Most Inspirational Athlete" for his efforts
on the football field.
He attended Sacramento State College on a football
scholarship, where he majored in biology. Compactly built at
210 pounds, he bench-pressed over twice his weight. Through
his strength and prowess, he earned a starting position on
the defensive line. While in college, he married Jane
Cooper.
After graduation, despite being accepted to dental school
with top admission scores, he chose instead to return to
work with his father on the family farm. Following the
passing of Earl Schultz Sr., he continued the legacy of his
Great-Uncle Otto and his father. There, he took pride in
feeding everyday people by raising quality potatoes, barley,
and beets. When visiting grocery stores, even on vacation,
he rarely found local produce that would meet his high
standards. He was even sometimes given to educating the
produce manager in the finer points of potato grading.
While managing the farm, he still found time for community
service. He was highly involved in Tulelake High School
sports by supporting the booster club and making numerous
brief, but memorable, football coaching appearances. One of
his greatest joys was to enrich young athletes with his
unique perspective on and off the field.
In 2001, Earl was instrumental in assembling at pivotal
meeting of community leaders with the intent of preserving
water rights for local farms. To that end, he worked with
other community leaders through such organizations as The
Klamath Basin Business Committee and the Tulelake Growers
Association. Those who worked with him appreciated his
tireless efforts without expectation of recognition.
However, there was always time for playful pursuits. Not a
diner in the valley was safe from his exploding coffee
creamers or mayonnaise-laden placemat airplanes. Douglas
Firs rued the Christmas season as Earl deforested small
swaths of federal land to bring holiday cheer with an annual
40,000-watt Christmas float. On the sporting side, he was
expert at the art of employing creamed corn and Velveeta
cheese, much to the dismay of local fish and game personnel.
Earl founded such questionable institutions as The Sucker
Cup Boat Race, Winter Illegal Fireworks Festival and the
aforementioned Christmas floats. He helped his friends
celebrate life by scripting numerous 40th birthday parties
featuring such characters as the Three-Legged Gunslinger,
Blow-Up Ken Cowboy, and the talented Mr. Cow Tongue. Earl
helped us all see the magic of laughter.
Earl Otto Schultz Jr. is survived by Jane Schultz and their
son Brent Schultz, his sisters Barbara Davis, Joan Ogard and
Mary Conway, cousin Tom Eastep, one nephew, four nieces and
nine grandnieces and grandnephews.
The family would like to extend a warm invitation to all for
a celebration of Earl's life to be held at the Malin
Cemetery on Saturday, May 7, at 3:30 p.m.
Published in Herald And News on May 6, 2011
|
