TULARE — Robert Dean Schultz, 71, of Tulare, died peacefully at Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls Friday, April 26, 2024, after a long and hard-fought battle against kidney disease and its complications.
Visitation is 5 p.m. Thursday, May 2, with a time of sharing following at 7 p.m., at Hyke Funeral Home in Redfield.
Robert’s funeral service is 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 3, at Tulare United Church. Pastors Rey Colón and Jeff Bergquist will officiate. Burial will follow at St. John’s Cemetery, Tulare, with lunch following back at the church.
Both the prayer service and funeral service will be live-streamed on the funeral home’s website below Robert’s obituary. Hyke Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.
Memorial donations may be directed to the South Dakota Chapter of Shriner’s Hospitals for Crippled Children (c/o SD Community Foundation, PO Box 296 Pierre, SD, 57501) or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105).
Robert was born December 17, 1952, in Redfield, the youngest of three boys, to Delmar and Phyllis (Otto) Schultz. He loved growing up on the farm and enjoyed helping his dad with chores and later on with the livestock and crops. Robert learned to drive very young, among other things.
He attended school in Tulare, graduating from high school in 1971, and then attended Dakota State University in Madison, graduating in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in education. Also in 1975, Robert began his teaching career in Howard, where he taught Industrial Arts for 18 years. On October 28, 1977, he and Cindy Shantz were married and together raised son Ron.
In the spring of 1992, the Schultz’s experienced a major life change and moved back to the farm where Robert had grown up. Robert’s brother, Alan, had become ill and couldn’t manage the farm any longer so, with Alan’s help, Robert took over and raised primarily Angus cattle, corn, and soybeans.
Robert had a shop at the farm and continued his love of building furniture and welding lovely statuary. Friends came from Texas and various other parts of the country to hunt with Robert, hence he added a room onto his shop where the hunters could meet and sleep after the hunt. They served delicious suppers in the shop and told tale after tale of hunting adventures current and past.
Due to Robert’s declining health, he and Cindy moved from the farm to Tulare in 2021. Ever the creator, Robert immediately busied himself with lawn and garden design and, to make sure they would be adequately cared for and watered, he had underground sprinklers installed. With the help of friends and neighbors, Robert completed most of his plans before he was no longer able to walk.
He will be greatly missed by his wife Cindy, son Ron (Nicole), granddaughter Mariah and her significant other Jordan, grandson Caleb, nephews: David (Jeanene) Schultz, Jeff (Vickie) Schultz, Mark (Rhonda) Schultz, Wade (Erin) Schultz, Bradley Schultz, Justin (Courtney) Deer, nieces: Nicole (Dustin Duwa) Schultz and Amy (Jeff) Dekoski, and brother-in-law Joe (Monika) Deer.
Preceding Robert in death are his parents Delmar and Phyllis, brothers Roger and Alan, sister-in-law Lynn, mother-in-law Mary Shantz, and father-in-law Keith Deer.
www.hykefuneralhome.com