Alice J. Schultz's Obituary
Alice Jeanette Schultz finished her long life’s journey in this world on December 28, 2015, in Tucson, Arizona, at 95 years of age. She died painlessly, with quiet dignity and a clear mind, under the dedicated care and attended by her daughter Carol Elaine Stephenson.
Friends, and caretakers are invited to join the family for a graveside service on January 4, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3535 N. Oracle Dr., Tucson.
Alice leaves behind two children, Terry Schultz and his wife Dorothy of Colorado Springs, CO, Carol Stephenson of Greendale, IN, daughter-in-law Dannette Schultz of Tucson, 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grand children, along with numerous nephews and nieces, her brother-in-law Willis Morris, along with many deep friendships. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Dan Schultz, her youngest son Douglas Bruce Schultz, her son-in-law Frank Stephenson, her brother Keith Terry and his wife Betty, and her sister Isabelle Morris.
Alice began her journey in the Colorado high plains wheat country June 5, 1920 in Limon, Colorado, 4 months after women were allowed to vote. As a child and young woman, she lived through the Great American Depression, the Dustbowl and World War II. Growing up in near poverty, she never stopped working. Over the years she became an award winning quilter, starting her first quilt in 1929 at the feet of her grandmother. Over the years and an unknown number of quilts later, her quilts spread color and happiness across the country. Over the past 10 years many a newborn has been wrapped in one of her heirloom quilts. No two quilts were ever the same.
She began life as Alice Terry, the oldest of three children. She had two siblings, Keith and Isabelle, both now deceased. Her father was a wheat farmer until the great depression and dust bowl drove them to a farm near Rocky Ford Colorado where her father found work. Life was hard and she grew up in near poverty until her teens. She was able to complete high school in 1939 in La Junta, CO, and find work as a housekeeper and store clerk. She met John Daniel (Dan) Schultz in high school, a friend of her brother Keith. They dated until World War II separated them for nearly 4 years. When Daniel was in England preparing for the Normandy Invasion, Alice left Colorado for California to live with an aunt and cousins and found work in a grocery store for the duration of the war.
They were reunited in 1945 and were married March 31,1946 in La Junta, Colorado, where they settled around family and friends. They helped found the First Southern Baptist Church there, where Daniel ultimately became a Deacon. Daniel worked as a skilled welder for the Citizens Utilities Company. They had three children, Terry, Carol, and Douglas Bruce.
Alice never stopped working, doing laundry and ironing for others, starting a day care business, and then going to work as a teacher’s aide and kindergarten teacher in a local grade school. Daniel worked his way up with his company until he held a management and engineering position. The family left La Junta for Nogales, Arizona in 1969 where Daniel was given the task of rebuilding the utility systems for Nogales and supervision of the utilities for the new developments of Kino Springs and Rio Rico. They joined the First Baptist Church in Nogales and became respected lifetime members.
Alice continued her work as a teacher’s aid until 1986 when Daniel retired and they were able to travel, following their interests. Dan was a woodworker and cabinet-maker, much as his father, and Alice was a seamstress and quilter. They traveled the craft fair circuit until the death of their son Douglas Bruce in 1991, and their own failing health kept them home.
She was known in Nogales for making hundreds of little loaves of banana nut and zucchini bread around Christmas time for women around town. She was known for her chicken and noodles, cinnamon rolls, donuts, apple pie, and was proud of the fact that her contributions at church pot lucks were always cleaned up first and she rarely brought home any leftovers, sometimes to the disappointment of Dan.
Daniel died in April of 2001. Alice’s health ultimately drove her to live in the Compania Del Rio senior home in Tucson for several years until her death.
Alice taught us the comfort of deep faith. She left a legacy of love of family and the value of friendship. She demonstrated persistence and determination, gratitude, hospitality and generosity.
She made beauty from scraps. She had an exceptional native sense of design and color. She found excitement in the ordinary, a trip around town, to a grocery store and a long visit to a fabric store, especially with her daughter Carol.
Her last project was passing on her quilting legacy to Carol with the restoration of an antique quilt.
Instead of flowers, donations can be made to the following charities:
Casa de la Luz Hospice, 7740 N. Oracle Road, Tucson AZ 85704, or The Santa Cruz Humane Society, 232 E. Patagonia Hwy., Nogales AZ 85621, or to a charity of your choice.
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