Edward W Schultz

Edward W. Schultz, 79, of Gulfport, Florida passed away peacefully on March 23, 2016, at home and surrounded by his family, following a brief illness. He will be greatly missed and was deeply loved. Ed was born November 16, 1936 in Buffalo, New York, son of Edward J. Schultz, a firefighter, and Julia Schultz, a homemaker. After dropping out of high school for a short amount of time, Ed decided to return and dedicate himself to education. He received his bachelors degree from SUNY, College of Education, Buffalo and went on to get his masters and doctorate degrees from Syracuse University. Later, he earned his MSW from the University of Connecticut. Before retiring to Florida, Ed, with his wife Patricia and children, spent over 20 years in Farmington, Maine. There he developed lasting friendships with many wonderful people and an affection for rehabbing old houses and buying and selling used cars. He was a lifelong educator, and spent over two decades as a professor of Special Education at the University of Maine at Farmington, teaching students to become teachers themselves. He authored several books and numerous scholarly articles in his field and was a dedicated leader, serving as UMF’s department head for many years, as well as the interim dean. Playing golf, traveling with his wife and walking his dog, Gracie were a few of the many activities he loved to do in his retirement, along with viewing just about every movie and obscure TV series on Netflix. Even in retirement, Ed was a leader, serving on the Board of Directors of his Condo Association. He was a true character and larger than life to all that were lucky enough to know him. Because watching the sunset each evening made him so happy it became his final wish—to come home from the hospital and watch one last sunset. Ed is survived by his wife of 54 years, Patricia (Riley) Schultz; his daughter Kirsten Schultz Marjerison, and her husband Tom, and their children, Samuel and Amelia of Yarmouth, Maine; his son Erich Schultz and his children, Scott and Heidi of Miami, Florida; his brother Tom Schultz and wife Virginia of Buffalo, New York; his sister Mary Insera of Puerto Penasco, Mexico; his nine nieces and nephews; and his loving dog, Gracie. Ed was a veteran, having been called to active duty with the Air Force during the Berlin Crisis. A celebration of life will be held on April 16, 2016 at 5940 Pelican Bay Plaza South, Gulfport, Florida at the pool clubhouse. An additional celebration will be held in Maine at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to a charity of your choice. Arrangements made by Beach Memorial Chapel, St. Pete Beach, Florida. 727-360-5577 www.beachmemorialchapel.com