Carl Schlutt, of Park Forest, Illinois, formerly of Niles

Published 9:10 am Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Sept. 29, 1939 — May 18, 2019

Carl Schlutt, 79, of Park Forest, Illinois, formerly of Niles, passed away on Saturday, May 18, 2019, at Franciscan Health in Olympia Fields, Illinois.

He was born, the youngest of 9, on Sept. 29, 1939, in Berrien Springs, to the late William Henry Albert and Emma Nee (Wesner) Schlutt.

Carl Schlutt

On March 1, 1958, Carl married Norma E. Null at a ceremony in Berrien Springs, recently celebrating 61 years happily married.

Carl graduated from Berrien Springs High School and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After serving his country, Carl decided to serve his community as an officer with the Berrien County Sheriff’s and Niles Police departments. Carl enjoyed a successful career as an owner-operator truck driver, driving millions of miles through forty-eight states and three countries. He was a lifetime member of Owner-Operated Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). When not on the road, Carl enjoyed fishing and hunting, was a Chicago Bears and White Sox enthusiast and had a big place in his heart for his dogs.

He was preceded in death by his parents; five brothers, Nelson, Louis, Elv, Edward and Leslie Schlutt; sisters, Doris Freehling and Shirley Rundborg; a great-grandson, Landon Polega.

Carl is survived by his loving wife, Norma Schlutt, of Park Forest, Illinois; their children; Mark (Cindy) Schlutt, of Niles, Kevin (Jayne) Schlutt, of Niles, Tim (Peggy) Schlutt, of Bloomer, Wisconsin and Tina (Steve) Polega, of Manteno, Illinois; six grandchildren, Amanda Schlutt-Moor, of Fishers, Indiana, Adam (Autumn) Schlutt, of Granger, Indiana, SSG Joshua Polega, of Manteno, Illinois, Tim Schlutt Jr., of Chicago, Illinois, Kevin Schlutt, of Chicago, Illinois and CPT Zachary (Rebecca) Polega of Fort Lewis, Washington, nine great-grandchildren and a sister, Matilda (Walter) Jones of Niles.

Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 26, 2019, at First Church of Christ, 2240 Yankee Street, Niles, Michigan 49120 with visitation one hour prior. An interment will be at Union Cemetery in Berrien Center, Michigan.

Memorial contributions may be made in Carl’s memory to South Suburban Humane Society, 1103 West End Ave, Chicago Heights, Illinois, 60411.

Friends and family are invited to share memories and photos of Carl at BrownFuneralHomeNiles.com.

The family is being cared for by Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Niles.