Obituary of Reginald Schultz
Reg was born at home on his father’s homestead, 3 miles north of Bashaw Alberta, in 1920.
He had many stories of growing up on the farm and used to talk about the large number and diverse variety of wildflowers, waterfowl, and songbirds during his youth before everything was cultivated. He had many recollections of growing up during the Great Depression. They were hard times and the family struggled like most farmers in that era to make a living. At about 11 years old, he and his brother Floyd hitchhiked to Calgary and then hopped on a train heading to make their fortune picking fruit in the Okanagan. He said they were riding inside an open boxcar and just about died from asphyxiation from the coal smoke when they went through the figure eight tunnels near Field, B.C. They didn’t make a fortune, but they did manage to eat well for the summer months.
With the start of WW2, Reg enlisted with the Calgary Highlanders in 1941 to go overseas. Just before he left, he was married to Minerva Bennett (daughter of Robert and Carwell Bennett) from Mirror, Alberta.
Reg was wounded twice in WW2 and returned home in 1945. He was there on Juno Beach on D-Day, and later took part in the liberation of the Netherlands.
After returning home in 1945, Reg hired on with CN Rail as a Fireman in Mirror, Alberta, and he was promoted to a Locomotive Engineer in 1946. He worked out of Mirror, Jasper, Edmonton, and back to Mirror again before retiring in 1980.
Reg was an avid gardener, fisherman, and hunter. The family spent most of their summers fly fishing the east slope of the Rockies from Waterton to Grande Prairie starting during the 50’s and continuing right through the 90’s.
Reg was an environmentalist before the term existed and was very active in his opposition to the draining of Spotted Lake, just north of Mirror in the 40’s and 50’s.
Reg’s secret to longevity was walking. He used to say “to stay in shape, all that was required was a good pair of shoes”.
He was predeceased by his wife Minerva in 2010.
A private service will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of one’s choosing. Condolences to Reg’s family may be emailed to meaningful@telus.net. Please indicate “Schultz” in the subject line.
Arrangements in care of
Meaningful Memorials Funeral Service
A locally owned cremation and funeral provider
serving Red Deer and all of Central Alberta
587-876-4944