Robert Ray "Bob" Schultz

He was born Jan 27, 1952 in Elkhorn, WI to Emil and Patricia (Ohlsen) Schultz. He married his soulmate Marilyn Barnett on Aug. 31, 1984 in Peoria at Forest Park Nature Center. She survives along with one daughter, Amber (Joel) Wuthrich of Peoria, one son, Nathaniel (Amanda) Schultz of Mapleton, two grandchildren: Bjorn and Raistlyn Schultz of Mapleton, two brothers: Rick (Laurie) Schultz of Germantown Hills, Bill Schultz of Detroit, MI, one sister, Pam DePriest of Farmington, and countless cats who somehow managed to find their way into his life.

He was preceded in death by his parents.Bob worked in Logistics at Caterpillar, Inc. for over 30 years, retiring in 2009.

Bob was a man defined by his hobbies. An avid beekeeper, he maintained 9 hives at home that consistently produced the best tasting and naturally sweet honey. No matter how many times he was offered payment, he refused; it was enough to know how much people loved and requested the honey he made. Bob also cultivated an orchard in his front yard and an impressive garden in the back. Every year, he would grow a never-ending supply of fruits and vegetables, even including green tomatoes and okra, not because he liked them but because he knew how much his wife enjoyed eating them.

When Bob was finally back inside, his kids knew they could always find him playing video or computer games. Many evenings were spent with Super Mario, Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, or Secret of Mana unfolding on the TV, while Amber and Nathan watched and shrieked with excitement as youngsters. He always made sure to buy the most up to date consoles for himself and his kids; a family that games together stay together. Later in life, Bob was known for his obsession with Fallout 3 and spending most of his time in that game walking over-encumbered to his base with vacuum parts he found on the wasteland.

Although he enjoyed his hobbies, Bob always had the biggest smile when he made his wife Marilyn happy. He managed to buy her the house of her dreams in Trivoli in the 90s, and when she wanted to keep Rusty, a little orange kitten born in their garage, he pretended he was going to say no, then on her birthday gave her a card he wrote from Rusty’s perspective saying he could stay after all. Everything Bob did, he did for her.

His family will sorely miss the sound of his laughter bursting from the living room; the stoic, solid presence he provided in any situation, and most importantly, that big grin he would give the second he saw us walking up the front steps. How lucky we were, out of the millions of people in the world, that we had the honor of having him as our husband, father, brother, and friend.

Funeral services will be Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 at 3 p.m. at the Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel in Peoria. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services. Cremation rites will be accorded following the services.

Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice. You may view Bob’s obituary online www.davison-fulton.com