Blaine passed away on November 24, 2016 at age 94 in South Milwaukee, surrounded by his loving family. Blaine Harris Schultz was born January 30, 1922 in Caledonia Township, Trail County, North Dakota, the son of William and Helen (Olson) Schultz.

Blaine was born in the same farm house in which his father had been born. He attended the Caledonia consolidated school- the first one in the state of North Dakota, graduating in 1940 as class valedictorian. He enrolled in North Dakota State College in Fargo in Electrical Engineering. While attending college during his sophomore year, he took pilot training as part of the Civilian Pilot Training program. To enroll in the advanced course he had to sign an affidavit that he would enroll in the US Army Air Corps in the event of an emergency. That emergency came up with Pearl Harbor. He was inducted in Nashville, TN as an Aviation Cadet. While at Preflight School he was informed that, because of his previous flying experience, he could volunteer to be trained at a British flying school, of which there were five in the US. Upon graduating he would be be awarded both RAF and US pilot wings and would be placed in the Air Transport Command. He elected to do so. He initially delivered a C-46 plane to Marrakech, Morocco, and served 13 months in North Africa flying a variety of planes out of Casablanca and Tripoli. He returned a C-54 to Memphis, TN at the end of the war. He accumulated a total of 1700 hours, 900 overseas.

While in college he met his sweetheart and wife to be, the former Muriel Eleanor Tessman, at a dance at the Crystal Ballroom where big bands played every Wednesday night. Blaine and Muriel were married in Inglewood CA on September 3, 1944 just before he went overseas. He was discharged in Long Beach, CA in December 1945 and they drove back to ND over the Christmas holidays. Blaine resumed his engineering training in January 1946 and graduated in June 1947.

Blaine began working for the Line Material Company in South Milwaukee and remained with the company through several mergers. He was Engineering Manager- Distribution Switchgear before retirement in 1984. He served on several IEEE committees developing performance requirements for numerous switchgear products, several times as chairman. He acquired 13 patents during his career.

Blaine was an active involved citizen, serving on the South Milwaukee Redevelopment Committee, SM Street Beautification Committee, and the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee and more. He was an election proctor for 20+ years. A member of St. John Lutheran Church in Cudahy since 1959, he served there as President of the congregation, on the Board of Elders, Head of Education Building committee, the evangelism committee, taught Bible study and was a lay liturgist. He also dedicated 49 years of active membership to the South Milwaukee Lions Club where he was awarded the Birch-Strum Fellowship, Presidents Award, named a Knight of Sight, Eye Bank transport driver and was twice awarded the Lions Club’s highest honor, the Melvin Jones Award. He was also a member of Old Goats, (Gentlemen of Assorted Talents and Services) which met for lunch weekly after his retirement.

Blaine was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Shirley, and infant brother. He is survived by his wife, Muriel, sister, Norma Schultz, daughter Judith (Jeff) Tobolski, sons Lawrence (Joan)Schultz and Geoffrey (fiancé Sue Waudby) Schultz, grandchildren Eric Schultz, Katherine (Ronald) Myers, Amanda Zuhlke, Jennifer (Keith) Dow, Jiliane Tobolski and 7 great grandchildren: Noah and Gabriel Schultz, Ronald and Moira Myers, Lili Mudd, Nolan and Liam Dow and “honorary” son, Greg Grambow.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested for St. John Lutheran Church Building Fund, 4850 S. Lake Dr., Cudahy, WI 53110 or a charity of your choice.

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