Edward F. Schultz, Jr.

Edward F. Schultz, Jr., 92, passed away peacefully on October 14, 2022. He was lovingly cared for by his wife Ann, with whom he was happily married for 69 years. Ed is survived by his sons, Jim, Bill and his wife Caroline, and Bob and his wife Katie; his grandchildren Sarah, Austin, Alex, Trevor, Sam and Adam, whom he absolutely adored; and many nieces and nephews whom he held in high regard and affection. Ed was the son of Edward and Elsie (nee Green) Schultz of Baltimore, MD, and the second oldest of five children. He is predeceased by his brothers Paul and Joe, and his sisters Delores and Jean.

He grew up on Kentucky Avenue in Baltimore, close to Memorial Stadium where he both enjoyed being an avid fan of the Orioles baseball team and even participated himself, becoming a highly regarded short stop, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers farm system. He played for the Dodgers’ semi-pro teams for two years, making it to spring training in 1949 where he met future Hall of Famers Roy Campanella and Pee Wee Reese.

While Ed was brilliant in the field, the same could not be said of his work at the plate, and so he moved on, after graduating with a degree in Chemistry in 1950 from Loyola University Maryland. He took a position with DuPont in the fall of 1950 and moved to Wilmington, DE, where he kept a long-distance relationship with Ann Morgan Thomas of Baltimore. They married in 1953 and began a new life in Wilmington.

Ed enjoyed a 35-year career at DuPont, first as a chemist in the Deepwater, NJ office, and later in corporate sales as a technical manager in DuPont’s Wilmington executive offices. Their three sons were born while Ed and Ann lived in Fairfax; they spent their final 52 years in Chalfonte, after returning from Chicago in 1970 where they enjoyed a memorable 15-month detour as part of Ed’s internal company transfer.

The family spent many wonderful summer vacations with their children in Ocean City, New Jersey and later enjoyed spending time together visiting with friends and family in Rehoboth, Delaware, and in Hances Point and Ocean City, Maryland. Their most memorable family trip was driving across the country, camping and visiting many western national parks, including Yellowstone. Ed and Ann also took several fun trips throughout Europe and especially enjoyed their time in England.

The Catholic faith was a pillar in Ed’s life. During his youth, he was an altar boy at St. Francis Church and enjoyed the many social activities at his church. He was a long-time member of St. Mary Magdalen Church in Wilmington, where he served as Eucharistic minister and as a retiree, enjoyed calling bingo at social gatherings at the Church.

Ed was a family man and took immense pride in the many accomplishments of his children, their wives and most importantly, his grandchildren. Ed enjoyed bowling, WWII documentaries, playing golf and cards, including the neighborhood poker group, several bridge groups and especially playing hearts with his children and grandchildren. He was a sharp and fierce competitor and, with the exception of Ann, he usually won!

Ed was quietly strong, unfailingly kind and always a true gentleman. Even in his final weeks he cared more for the comfort and care of others than that of himself. He will be forever cherished and greatly missed by everyone whose life he touched.