Carolyn Louise Schulz

Carolyn Louise Schulz, age 78, of Walker, MN passed away peacefully at the Hospice of the Valley in Gilbert, AZ with her loving family by her side.  She was born on Saturday, November 16, 1946, in Minneapolis, the daughter of Kenneth and Dorothy (Westman) Norton.  Carolyn grew up and graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1965.  Following school she attended St. Cloud State University.  She later transferred to the U of M to finish her Dental Assistant degree.  Carolyn met and married Gary Schulz in 1967 at the Elim Lutheran Church in Robbinsdale which happened to be the same place they met.  They lived in Robbinsdale where their first child was born and Carolyn worked at the Dental Clinic.  Together they bought their first home in New Hope and after giving birth to their second son, she decided to stay at home and take care of her family.  Gary started working for IBM which found them moving to Moline, IL and it also gave Gary his lifelong nickname, “Dutch.”  While in Moline they welcomed another child to the family.  A few years later the family moved to Plymouth, MN and purchased another house.  It seemed that three years was the average time before Dutch would be promoted, this brought the family to Fargo, ND, Ramsey, NJ, and finally to Plymouth, MN in 1977.  When they moved back to Plymouth, Carolyn decided to attend the Hennepin Technical College to be a recertified Dental Assistant.  She worked with a Dentist in Wayzata for about twenty years before retiring to Walker, MN in 1992.  They bought property and built their own lake home.  This wasn’t their first taste of Leech Lake, it all started back in 1969 with summer trips for fishing and outdoor activities.  For a short time, the two rented a house in Mesa, AZ before buying one.  This allowed them to be in Walker for six months and in Mesa for six months.

As anyone knew Carolyn, she loved to play Bridge, loved to cook, and enjoyed Walleye fishing.  If you would stop by, you also knew that her house was always immaculate.  She will be missed by all her family and friends.

The family that Carolyn joins again are her infant son, Todd; parents, Kenneth and Dorothy; baby sister, Sherry; and a brother-in-law, John.

Those she leaves behind to cherish her memory are her husband of almost 58 years, Gary “Dutch” Schulz of Walker, MN; son, Christopher (Nicole) Schulz of Owatonna, MN; daughter, Melissa Schulz of Seal Beach, CA; brother, Roger (Pam) Norton of Eagan, MN; sister, Gail (Howard) Parker of South Minneapolis, MN; grandchildren, Fletcher and Brandon.

Two celebrations of life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, June 12, 2025, at Hope Lutheran Church, 305 10th Street South, Walker, MN with visitation one hour prior to the service and 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 17th, 2025, at St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church, 17205 County Road 6, Plymouth, MN with visitation one hour prior to the service.

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