Thomas (Thom) John Schultz, 66, of Plattsburgh, passed away peacefully at CVPH Medical Center, Plattsburgh, N.Y., on March 29, 2018.
Thom was born in Albany, N.Y., on May 1, 1951, and was raised in Schenectady, N.Y., by his parents, Robert and Clementine (Zymewski) Schultz.
Thom was a graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh, earning a Bachelor's in Elementary Education, and a Master's in Library Sciences. He worked with Upward Bound at the college, and then for 30 years at Clinton County Department of Social Services, retiring in June 2016 from children's services.
Left to cherish their memories of Thom are his wife of 26 years, Vanessa Young of Plattsburgh, and their children, Benjamin, Emily, and Martha and her family. Also, his sister Michele Schultz and her partner Valerie Staats of Buffalo, N.Y.; his stepmother, Margaret Schultz of Cody, Wyo.; brother-and sister-in-law, Adrian and Sandra Young, of Berkshire, England; sister-in-law Hilary Hopkins of Cornwall, England, and nephews and nieces; a treasured friend, Billie Jean Goff of Cortland, N.Y.; and many good friends from his work and community involvement in the North Country.
Those close to Thom greatly enjoyed and valued his honesty, clarity of thought, captivating stories, and unique sense of humor. He will be remembered for his dedication to his family, the children of Clinton County, and the fish of Chazy Lake.
At Thom's request, there will be no calling hours or funeral service; a celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Donations in his memory may be to the FitzPatrick Cancer Center at CVPH, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
To share a photo, story, or condolence with Thom's family, please visit www.rwwalkerfh.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted into the care of the R.W. Walker Funeral Home, 69 Court Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901. To plant a tree in memory of Thomas J. Schultz, please visit Tribute Store.
Of all the "missing classmates" whose passing I verified, Thomas Schultz was the most difficult to accept. I had known him since elementary school. Miss Gade, in third grade, had four of us in the fastest boys' reading group -- Ricky Trumbull, Dickie Phillips, Tom Boehm, and Tom Schultz. She called us by name: "Ricky Dicky Tom Tom." Ricky and I are the only survivors. Eric Trumbull, as he now is known, a lifelong actor in theater, is living in Manassas, Virginia. I last saw Tom Schultz at the Sagamore Hotel near Bolton Landing on Lake George in September 1973, when both of us were working there. In eleven days I earned enough money to buy my 1917 Gibson A-3 mandolin. On my twenty-second birthday we went to Dacey Clearing and Sleeping Beauty Mountain. We lost touch, and I never saw Tom Schultz again. And all the while he was living in Plattsburgh, not far away.
I remember working on Hilights with Thom. He had a great sense of humor and his column in the paper was always funny and irreverent. I can still hear him saying "Tough Duey Quads". I had no idea what it meant but it was somehow funny. We would hang out in the Journalism room listening to Simon and Garfunkle and the Nitty Gritty Dort Band on our record player (we only had two or three records). In my one move as a rebel, I had signed out of study hall Senior year and never signed into another class. Did I spend it smoking or goofing off, nope every period in the Journalism office with Thom and others. It was a great group of people who worked together to produce a great school newspaper. We had a great time going to NYC for the Columbia University High School Journalism competition. We were awarded first place each year. I dont think any of us attended the classes but just spent our time exploring NYC. After our Senior year trip I remember Ray (Mr Patterson, the best teacher ever) apologizing for not watching us and he said "I just hope there are no pregnancies." There weren't. I do remember Tom Curley puking up Orange Julius in our room and trying to sleep with that stench in the room. I had to write a check to the Taft Hotel for rug cleaning from HiLights. Good times.
Richard Phillips
Thomas J. Schultz
May 1, 1951 - March 29, 2018
Thom was born in Albany, N.Y., on May 1, 1951, and was raised in Schenectady, N.Y., by his parents, Robert and Clementine (Zymewski) Schultz.
Thom was a graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh, earning a Bachelor's in Elementary Education, and a Master's in Library Sciences. He worked with Upward Bound at the college, and then for 30 years at Clinton County Department of Social Services, retiring in June 2016 from children's services.
Left to cherish their memories of Thom are his wife of 26 years, Vanessa Young of Plattsburgh, and their children, Benjamin, Emily, and Martha and her family. Also, his sister Michele Schultz and her partner Valerie Staats of Buffalo, N.Y.; his stepmother, Margaret Schultz of Cody, Wyo.; brother-and sister-in-law, Adrian and Sandra Young, of Berkshire, England; sister-in-law Hilary Hopkins of Cornwall, England, and nephews and nieces; a treasured friend, Billie Jean Goff of Cortland, N.Y.; and many good friends from his work and community involvement in the North Country.
Those close to Thom greatly enjoyed and valued his honesty, clarity of thought, captivating stories, and unique sense of humor. He will be remembered for his dedication to his family, the children of Clinton County, and the fish of Chazy Lake.
At Thom's request, there will be no calling hours or funeral service; a celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Donations in his memory may be to the FitzPatrick Cancer Center at CVPH, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
To share a photo, story, or condolence with Thom's family, please visit www.rwwalkerfh.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted into the care of the R.W. Walker Funeral Home, 69 Court Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901.
To plant a tree in memory of Thomas J. Schultz, please visit Tribute Store.
Richard Phillips
Of all the "missing classmates" whose passing I verified, Thomas Schultz was the most difficult to accept. I had known him since elementary school. Miss Gade, in third grade, had four of us in the fastest boys' reading group -- Ricky Trumbull, Dickie Phillips, Tom Boehm, and Tom Schultz. She called us by name: "Ricky Dicky Tom Tom." Ricky and I are the only survivors. Eric Trumbull, as he now is known, a lifelong actor in theater, is living in Manassas, Virginia. I last saw Tom Schultz at the Sagamore Hotel near Bolton Landing on Lake George in September 1973, when both of us were working there. In eleven days I earned enough money to buy my 1917 Gibson A-3 mandolin. On my twenty-second birthday we went to Dacey Clearing and Sleeping Beauty Mountain. We lost touch, and I never saw Tom Schultz again. And all the while he was living in Plattsburgh, not far away.
Nikki Campas (Burdick)
Thank you, Richard, for your touching tributes. I have enjoyed reading them.
Douglas Garrick
I remember working on Hilights with Thom. He had a great sense of humor and his column in the paper was always funny and irreverent. I can still hear him saying "Tough Duey Quads". I had no idea what it meant but it was somehow funny. We would hang out in the Journalism room listening to Simon and Garfunkle and the Nitty Gritty Dort Band on our record player (we only had two or three records). In my one move as a rebel, I had signed out of study hall Senior year and never signed into another class. Did I spend it smoking or goofing off, nope every period in the Journalism office with Thom and others. It was a great group of people who worked together to produce a great school newspaper. We had a great time going to NYC for the Columbia University High School Journalism competition. We were awarded first place each year. I dont think any of us attended the classes but just spent our time exploring NYC. After our Senior year trip I remember Ray (Mr Patterson, the best teacher ever) apologizing for not watching us and he said "I just hope there are no pregnancies." There weren't. I do remember Tom Curley puking up Orange Julius in our room and trying to sleep with that stench in the room. I had to write a check to the Taft Hotel for rug cleaning from HiLights. Good times.
Rest in Peace Thom