ALFRED HENRY GEORGE SCHULTE, JR.
The man with the wonderful smile, Alfred Henry George Schulte, Jr., was born July 1930 in San Antonio, but whether on the 22nd or 23rd was a matter of lifelong debate. While his birth certificate states the 23rd, his mother (and she should know) insisted the doctor had mistaken the date. Later in life, he enjoyed the two-day celebration of his birth. Alfred was the second child and oldest son of nine children born to Alfred, Sr. and Louisa Hartman Schulte.
He grew up helping his father with farm work and attending one-room schoolhouses in Medina County, often riding there on the back of a mule with a sister or brother. He loved to hunt and fish, and his prowess with a slingshot was legendary.
When he grew up, he served honorably in the United States Army at Fort Bliss during the Korean Conflict but was always grateful that he didn’t have to go “over there”. After his military service ended in 1953, he returned home to Medina County, where he worked in a variety of occupations.
In 1954, Alfred met and married Lois Ann Schladoer, the daughter of Ben and Fleta Schladoer of Bandera County. The young couple soon had three children: Donna, Michael, and Julie. 18 years after Julie’s birth, they were surprised and delighted by the arrival of their youngest child, Christopher.
Alfred worked for the Texas Highway Department for over 35 years, bringing home not only a steady paycheck but also endless stories of his adventures out on the state highways. Heavy rains in the Texas Hill Country would find him blocking flooded roadways and trying to persuade some motorists that attempting to cross bridges that were two feet under water was not a good idea.
When he retired, he, Lois and Christopher moved to Durango, Colorado for several years. Alfred loved Colorado and was always happy to visit Durango even after he and Lois returned to Texas.
Alfred and Lois lived for many years in Kerrville, where they made a host of good friends at Take-It-Easy RV Resort. It was here that he became a bingo fanatic, and he and Lois would play several nights every week. They enjoyed eating out, visiting thrift stores in hopes of scoring a bargain, and taking long drives through the Hill Country.
When Lois was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she and Alfred moved to their daughter’s property south of Seguin, to a tiny house built for them by son-in-law Joe and daughter Donna. He helped to care lovingly for Lois until she passed away in July 2016. He stayed on in his tiny house, eating out, playing “Uno” with his great-grandchildren and playing bingo two or three times a week with Donna. Finally, the heart disease he had lived with for many years returned him peacefully to his Creator, where he joined his wife Lois, his son Michael and daughter Julie Donaldson, and his granddaughter Megan Tobin. Also welcoming him home were his parents, his sisters Mary “Mitzi” Mazurek and Carolyn Adamietz, and his brothers Leroy and David.
Alfred is survived by his daughter Donna and her husband Joe Loth of Seguin, by his son Christopher of California, by sisters Myrtle Schneider and Ruth (Stanley) Franklin, brothers Charles “Sonny” (Annette) and Thomas; by grandchildren Amy Tobin Babel (John), Jason DeTeso (Hillary), Megan Munzert, Stephanie Paul (Joshua), Emily Leicht (Cody), and Matthew Donaldson (Mariah); great-grandchildren Joseph Babel, Morgandy Babel, Vincent DeTeso, and August Munzert. Also surviving are sisters-in-law Antonia Schulte and Linda Schulte, brother-in-law Raymond Adamietz, and a host of friends and fans, especially his wonderful hospice group and the ladies of Elks Lodge Bingo in Seguin.
A memorial service for Alfred will be held Saturday, July 3, at 11:00 a.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Quihi, Texas. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall.