Frederick "Fred" Theodore William Schulze

Frederick Theodore William Schulze, better known to everyone as “Fred” was called to his heavenly home on January 17, 2023, with his life partner, Pat, at his side.

He was born in Endicott, Washington on September 28, 1929, to Reverend Henry (Hy)Schulze and his wife, Frieda Hartman Schulze. He was baptized by his Father on October 12, 1929, in the Lutheran Church at Endicott, WA. In 1943, he was confirmed at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Eden, Idaho.

He attended grade schools in Havillah, WA and in Eden, Idaho. He graduated from high school at Concordia Academy in Portland, Oregon. In 1950 he joined the U.S. Air Force and served two years at Kotzebue, Alaska. He then served four years in the Air Force Reserves. The American Legion honored him as the distinguished veteran of the year in 2009 and in 2016 he was among the veterans who were flown to Washington, D.C. where they were honored for their service and sacrifices to the nation.

Over the years he wore many hats. Starting as a police officer, a fireman, a mechanic while living in Hermiston, Oregon. He transferred to the Ford Garage in Corvallis where he worked as a mechanic until he went to work at the Spokane, Portland, & Seattle Railroad (SP&S) in Albany. The last hat he wore, was working at the Fred Meyer Store in Albany as department head of the sporting goods department. When he retired, he decided to take a course at Linn-Benton community college in Metallurgical Engineering and earned a bachelor’s degree.

Fred was an avid outdoorsman and loved to hunt and fish. He spent many summers taking friends on his boat to the Oregon coast to catch salmon and drifted for steelhead in the wintertime. He also hunted mule deer, antelope, and elk in Oregon. He journeyed to British Columbia with his friend, Mike Kutsch, to hunt Mountain Goat and Bighorn Sheep. Fred was an excellent shot and was a founding member of the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club. He competed in small caliber pistol tournaments and then also was a competitive skeet shooter, winning many tournaments in his class and also shooting 100 straight. Fred also repaired, restored and built custom rifles, he had an eye for detail and also being a machinist could build just about anything. He kept a gun shop at his home in Albany and served and helped many shooters. He also built and repaired fishing rods and reels. Any day you could find him disassembling and repairing even the most complicated reels. A dedicated sportsman, his interests extended to charitable causes as well. Fred was the founder of the Albany Chapter of the Friends of the NRA, a private foundation dedicated to promoting shooting sports, responsible gun ownership and gun safety programs for youth. Fred was a man with many interests and abilities, and generous with his time, talents, and expertise.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Henry and Frieda Schulze, a brother, Louie and sister, Eunice.

Fred is survived by his nieces: Karen Schulze and family of Harlem, Georgia; Susan Schulze Claasen and family of San Diego, California; his Godchild, Mary Gage Gagnier of Milwaukie, Oregon. He is also survived by his life partner of 43 years, Pat Essensa of Albany, and her children, Barbara, Brian, and grandson James.

Fred’s life was a life well lived. He shared so much of himself with others. He will be truly missed.

A memorial service is planned for March 4, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 154 S.E. Madison, Albany, Oregon 97321. An elevator is available at the church as needed.

Memorial Donations may be made to Immanuel Lutheran Church.

AAsum-Dufour is handling arrangements.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Frederick "Fred" Theodore William Schulze, please visit our floral store.