Stephen Jay Schultz

1946 - 2023

Stephen Jay Schultz

North Pomfret, VT - Stephen Jay Schultz, 76, died peacefully at his daughter's home in Montpelier, Vermont on Saturday June 3rd, 2023, surrounded by his beloved family. He died on the eve of the Strawberry Moon after a courageous battle with lung cancer.

Steve was born in Washington, DC on September 19, 1946, son of William "Steve" Schultz and Dorothy Rice Schultz. He grew up in the countryside of Rockville, Maryland, with bluegrass music and barn dances, and enjoyed many trips with his family to the Chesapeake Bay. He was called "Jay" by his childhood friends and his family. Steve graduated from Richard Montgomery High School in 1964. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition from The University of Maryland and a Master's Degree in Geography from Syracuse University.

Steve married Margaret Nelson Schultz on January 21, 1983. Their paths first crossed at a contradance that Steve organized at an old Meeting House in Sandy Spring, Maryland. Early the next morning, coffee in hand, Steve walked through the nearby fields to a pond where he met Margaret painting the landscape at her easel.

Following the birth of their two children, Kristina and Jack, Steve built a home for their young family in Glen Echo, Maryland. They later moved to Vermont and built a hillside home between two streams in North Pomfret. Margaret and Steve celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary this past winter.

While Steve had a variety of jobs over the years (including as a bricklayer, carpenter, nutritionist, and researcher at Johns Hopkins University) his life's work was truly as a teacher. He taught woodworking, architecture, videography, and jewelry making for seventeen years – first at Woodstock Union High School and then at Thetford Academy. Steve wanted his shop and his classes to be a place where all kids felt they belonged. He inspired many young people to discover their inner spark for lifelong interests and careers in woodworking, carpentry, metalwork, film and architectural design. Steve actively championed technology education. He was a leader in wiring Woodstock Union High School so that students would have internet access for learning. He also started the Woodstock Community Television Station and ran the television studio for several years from his classroom. He was a lifelong learner who immersed himself in history and craft across cultures, traveling to Greece and Japan to study architecture and woodworking. Steve cared deeply for his students and was always interested in their lives and careers.

Steve will be remembered for his devotion to his family, his gentleness, his humor, and his curiosity about the world and the people in it. He was a man with a deep soul and philosophical sensibility. Steve had many personal interests throughout his life, including cooking, gardening, poetry, traditional music, storytelling, Non-Violent Communication and meditation. He enjoyed making music as a shared experience, especially with his son Jack and his granddaughter Julia. In his retirement, he helped to build a house for Kristina and her family in Montpelier. In recent years, he joined a group called Sunrise Meditation and found meaning and friendships in their daily morning virtual Zen meditation practice.

Steve was laid to rest with a natural burial by his family at Robinson Cemetery in Calais, Vermont. All are welcome to attend a virtual celebration of his life, which will take place on Sunday, August 13th at 10:00 am.

Steve was predeceased by his parents and his younger brother Thomas "Tommy" Schultz. Survivors include Steve's wife, Margaret; his daughter Kristina Kane and husband Ryan Kane; his son Stephen "Jack" Schultz and fiance Daisy Winner; his sister Cathy Rosenberger; his granddaughter Julia Kane; his cat GraySea and dog Ginevra; and many dear friends and extended family members.

Memorial contributions may be made to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice or The Cambridge Zen Center.