Max L. Schultz July 7, 1935 – Oct. 18, 2011

Published 10:56 pm Thursday, October 20, 2011

Max L. Schultz
July 7, 1935 – Oct. 18, 2011

Max Lewellyn Schultz, 76, of Cassopolis, and formerly of Niles, passed away at 11 a.m. on

Schultz

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, at Hospice Care Center of Elkhart, Ind.  He is survived by his wife, Jean, and their children, Steven (and Anita Miars) Schultz of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jill (and Steven) Weber of Niles, Mich.; grandchildren, Adam (and Kylee Kemmerling) Weber, Kristin Weber (and fiance David Schneider), Max II (and Shannon Vroom) Schultz, Stockton (and Courtney Helman) Schultz, Alexander Schultz; great-grandchild Emerson Schultz; his sisters and brothers Joan (and Will) Roberts, Sandra (and Joe) McFarland, Sharon (and Richard) Jones and Sam (and Kyla) Schultz; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Max was born on July 7, 1935, in Rensselaer, Ind., to Russell Lewellyn and Nellie Mae (Cover) Schultz. He graduated from Kentland High School in Kentland, Ind., and earned a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University in mechanical engineering in 1957.  He was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, completed ROTC and served as an officer in the United States Army.
Max worked at Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Mich., after graduation, and married  Jean (the former Barbara Jean Merrill of Jackson, Mich.) on Feb. 1, 1958. They moved to South Bend where he worked as an aerospace engineer for Bendix/Honeywell for 35 years. During that time, he invented aircraft landing gears and brakes, obtaining close to 50 U.S. patents before retiring in 1992.
Max enjoyed his retirement years spending winters at Chokoloskee Island, Fla., and summers at Diamond Lake in Cassopolis, Mich., where he shared golfing, fishing, sailing and making homemade ice cream with his family and friends. His love for God was exemplified by his quiet and gentle nature, his acts of service and the time he spent in the study of God’s word and in prayer. He found great joy in sharing his faith in Jesus Christ with friends and family of all ages.  In more recent years, Max wrote the book, “The Big Picture,” which is  currently being published.
A memorial service and celebration of Max’s life will be held on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, at 3 p.m. hosted by New Life Church and Pastor Mike Cramer, 11593 McKinley Highway, Osceola, Ind. (nlpositivefaith.com). Pastor Trent Griffith of Harvest Bible Chapel, Granger will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in Max’s name to The Center for Hospice Care at 111 Sunnybrook Court, South Bend, IN 46637 (centerforhospice.org) or to Harvest Bible Chapel Granger at 52277 Hickory Road, Granger, IN 46530 (harvestgranger.org). Arrangements were made at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles, Mich.
To watch a short video of Max’s story and write condolences to the family, go to  caringbridge.org and type in maxlschultz.