Thursday, September 17, 2015

With love, to Dad

From the time I met him, I called him "Dad."  He was just one of those people. The kind of people who make you feel so invited and included that you can not possibly refer to them as a "sir" or "mister" He was certainly a person who inspired respect, but his mannerisms and warm heart always let you know that it was okay just to be yourself- another spirit drifting around on this little Earth.  He was a lot of fun, and willing to be part of the fun at any moment.  He never dismissed anything as silly or obtuse in the time that I knew him.  He was a great man.

Ronald Vincent Schoultz, 77, of Bismarck passed away September 9, 2015. Born in De Soto Missouri in 1938, He is preceded by his parents, Roy and Elsie Schoultz, and his brother, Robert Schoultz. He is survived by his six children, Stephanie Simpson, Ronald R. Schoultz, Daniel Schoultz, Michael Schoultz, Matthew Schoultz, Andrew Schoultz, and numerous grandchildren. On January 8, 1957 he completed Air Training Command and served in the Army Air Corp as a grounds equipment repairman at Scott Air Force Base and later Guam. After completing his military duty on May 24, 1962, Ronald attended Lindenwood University to study art and worked as a police officer in St. Louis. Art and poetry were a great passion of his and he spent much of his life pursuing both in his spare time. Following his work as a police officer, he performed maintenance electrical work for Atlas Plastics and Reynolds Metal. His family moved from Missouri to Grand Junction Colorado in 1980 where he worked in maintenance for Canyon Valley. In 1983 he moved his family to Arkansas and worked for Hot Spring County Memorial Hospital as a director of maintenance. Throughout the 1980s he held jobs in Denver, CO, Gonzales, LA, and Greenville, SC. In 1992, Ron began his work on Johnston Island, now known as the bird sanctuary Johnston Atoll, as a civilian contractor for the United States Government. He spent his free time enjoying the ocean and its inhabitants. He returned home to Bismarck, Arkansas to work at the Arkansas School for Math and Science as a boiler operator (although he would often sneak into the classrooms and leave art for the teachers to find the next morning.) While Ronald would have asked that there be no fuss, the family will be holding a private memorial to honor a wonderful father, grandfather, and friend.

“A million lights spreading through the skies,
Meant only to be seen by man’s frail eyes?
Steadfast we stand on our small sphere,
Content in thought that we alone are here.
Yet, could it be in the far beyond,
That many worlds have come and gone?
That countless beings have lived and loved,
And wondered at the lights above?” --Ronald V. Schoultz




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