Gerhard Schultz

Gerhard Schultz, 84, of St. Joseph, passed away, Friday, October 19, 2007 at his home. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:30 A.M. Tuesday at Napier Parkview Baptist Church, 245 W. Napier Ave., Benton Harbor with Dr. John Hosler officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery. Friends may call from 5:00 until 8:00 P.M. Monday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Memorial donations may be made to Napier Parkview Baptist Church. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Mr. Schultz was born September 16, 1923 in Dalwin Kreis Dirschau Danzig West Prussia to Albert & Frieda (Burau) Schultz. Gerhard served his country during WWII in the German Army from 1941 until 1944 when he was captured in Italy, and spent the next four years as a POW in Africa. On July 7, 1951, he married the former Elisabeth Gampe in Germany. The family moved to the United States in 1958, settling in St. Joseph. Gerhard was employed at Bendix/Allied Signal for twenty-plus years retiring in 1986. He was a member of Napier Parkview Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon and an Usher, and enjoyed helping with various projects around the church. In his spare time, Gerhard enjoyed fishing Lake Michigan from the St. Joseph piers. Gerhard is survived by his wife Elisabeth; two sons-Armin (Sheila) Schultz of Hagar Township, Arthur (Linda) Schultz of Wadsworth, IL; his daughter Claudia (Scott) Sorensen of Beach Park, IL; five grandchildren-Kurtis, Cameron, & Mikayla Schultz, and Kailey & Mitchell Sorensen; his sister Gertrud Puppel and his brother Otto (Maria) Schultz, both of St. Joseph. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother Walter Schultz in 1942.