(Mar. 4, 2009)
Paul Michael Schiltz, 91, died Wednesday, March 4 at the Powell Valley Care Center.
Paul was born on May 21, 1917 to Leonard and Theresa (Stadtler) Schiltz at their homestead in Hirschville, N.D.
He was educated in a rural, one-room school house until the eighth grade and was valedictorian of the 1934 class at Assumption Abbey in Richardton, N.D., where he received his high school diploma.
Paul worked at the Agricultural Adjustment Agency on threshing crews and helped his dad farm wheat and oat crops, helped with milk cow production, shucked corn, and worked in the Red River Valley of Minnesota. He also spent time working for American Chain and Cable in Michigan.
From 1942-45, he served in the U.S. Army as an airplane mechanic in the African Middle Eastern Theatre, maintaining, repairing and overhauling all types of military aircraft. He spent time in the Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, Italy and Morroco, and many other places.
After his time in the Army, he worked as a John Deere partsman at Zeeland, N.D., then as a Ford mechanic in Dickinson, N.D.
He married Lillian Danielson on July 9, 1946. They moved back to his parents’ farm where they share-cropped.
In 1948, daughter Paula was born, and two years later they moved to Caldwell, Idaho, where they homesteaded on 64 acres. They raised hay and grain for milk cows.
While there, son Cecil was born, and in 1960 the family moved to at 121 acre farm on Heart Mountain. Paul had two triple heart by-passes in the mid-1980s. Paul and Lillian moved into Powell and sold the farm in 1993. In 1997, they sold the remaining crop land. Paul spent his spare time pouring over health information and managing his investments. He also enjoyed rock collecting and lapidiary work.
Lillian died in May, 2007, and Paul spent the last seven months of his life in the Lovell and Powell nursing homes.
He is survived by son Cecil Schiltz (Donna) of Powell; daughter Paula Gorton (Greg) of Spokane, Wash.; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Paul was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Lillian; his parents; his brothers, Vincent and Lowell and his sister, Felicitas.
A rosary will be said at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church. Visitation will be 6:30 - 7 p.m. on March 12 and 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 13 at St. Barbara’s. A burial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 13 at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church, followed by interment at Crown Hill Cemetery.
Memorials may be sent to the Knights of Columbus, c/o St. Barbara’s Catholic Church, 115 E. Third St., Powell.
Arrangements are being handled by Thompson Funeral Home.