Richard F. Schultz

Richard (Rick) F. Schultz passed away on August 18, 2023 surrounded by his family.

Rick was born March 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, OH to Joseph Schultz and Elaine Broerman.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1964. While serving with the 25^th Infantry Division as a platoon sergeant in Vietnam, he was severely injured by a land mine explosion causing amputation of both his legs and one of his fingers. After nearly two years of hospitalization, he was honorably discharged from the Army in 1969, eventually being awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, and several other decorations for his service.

He had a long and distinguished career with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), where he represented veterans and their families in claims for various U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. He spent 11 years in that position heavily involved in many veterans’ programs, including the DAV Vietnam Veterans Outreach Program at the Cincinnati office, which was a model for the highly successful VA Vet Center program.

In 1985, he was promoted to DAV’s National Legislative Office in Washington, DC and in 1994 he was appointed National Legislative Director. He testified often to both the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees and meeting regularly with top VA officials to convey the DAV’s views on veterans’ issues. He retired in 1997.

His greatest accomplishment was being a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and great-grand father. He was a great listener and loved spending time with his family.

Rick is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Theresa; siblings Karen, Dave (wife Connie), Andrea (husband Don) and Christine (husband Ron); his children Trisha (husband Jimmy), Elaine (husband Joe), Tom, Rick, Cassie (husband John), Tim, and Doug; his grandchildren Brook, AJ, Erica, Nicole, Chelsea, Kyle, Austin, Nathan, Troy, Brady, Sophia and Samantha; and many great-grandchildren.

Rick was preceded in death by his brother Bruce and son Yancey.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice.