Ronnee Lyle Schultz

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Ronnee Lyle Schultz packed up his infectious smile, tall tales, years of service, devotion to his wife Heidi, and love of the outdoors to leave this worldly life, dying on June 9, 2017.

Ronnee was born on Oct. 20, 1933, to Alfred E. and Violet (Eckart) Schultz in Harvey, N.D. The family moved to Michigan, where Ronnee spent most of his childhood. He attended Bay City Handy High School. He was an Eagle Scout, later a Boy Scout troop leader, and was devoted to serving in the Scouts for many years. In 1953 he married Lucy Schulz, and they had three sons. He served in the Army for two years.

While in college he worked for Alaska Fish and Game and on a Great Lakes freighter, the J.F. Copmeyer. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in fisheries and wildlife in 1959, and went to work with Texas Fish and Game as a biologist in Corpus Christi. He and Lucy divorced, remarried, and divorced again, until they came to Falmouth, where Ronnee took a position with the Woods Hole office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He spent the rest of his professional life working there.

In 1971 he married Heidi Clarke Richards, and they established their lives together in West Tisbury. He joined the commuters who rode the ferry from Martha’s Vineyard to Woods Hole to work, and was known to play a mean game of cards during those trips across the sound. He served for a number of years as chairman of the West Tisbury planning board.

In 1972, he and Heidi purchased property on Mount Blue Stream in Maine, where he built a cabin that was a beloved retreat for the couple for several decades. He was an avid hunter and fisher, and often hosted his friends at the cabin to enjoy the outdoor life. While on the Vineyard, he played golf avidly, and he cheerfully took family members on hikes and beach walks. He shared his love of nature and the wonders of being in it with anyone who wanted to join him and learn. He and Heidi bought a catboat, Duckling, and sailed her in the sound for many years of marine joy. Ronnee was creative in making whimsical art pieces out of found objects. He made whirligigs as gifts to people he enjoyed. He offered himself as a handyman for a few years after he retired.

Ronnee was predeceased by his parents, Alfred and Violet Schultz, and his son, Todd Schultz. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Heidi Schultz, his sons Randall Lee Schultz, and Jason Lyle Schultz, his brothers Jerrie Schultz and Charlie Schultz, his stepdaughters Sarah O. Richards and Ruth G. Richards, and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and grand-nieces and -nephews.

A celebration of life will be planned at a later date. Meanwhile, the family likes to think he is now camping on a sandbank by the Saco River in Maine, where he had enjoyed many happy canoe trips with Heidi and other family members and friends.