Tim Shultz died from a severe accidental fall in his Battle Creek apartment.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Murray Shultz (1939-2012) and Marilyn L. (Bechstein) Shultz (1941-2022), and is survived by a brother and sister-in-law, Jeffrey Shultz and Janet Easly, of Baltimore, Maryland. He was born and grew up in Albion, Michigan and attended Battle Creek Public Schools.
Tim was born with spina bifida and underwent numerous surgeries when very young. Although he lacked the use of his legs, he sometimes walked with braces and crutches in childhood but preferred wheelchairs for the greater mobility they provided. Despite his disability, Tim was physically active, playing wheelchair basketball in high school and participating in Labor Day marathons. (It was discovered much later that the early surgeries had unintentionally made one of his lungs non-functional. This made his physical abilities even more remarkable. He also participated in weightlifting, swimming and many other activities. He spent many summers at Indian Trails Camp near Grand Rapids. In 2001 the Shultz family moved from their Albion home on Burr Oak St to a 10-acre rural property north of Marshall, where Tim took up hunting deer and turkeys with his father. He worked for a time at the ticket counter at Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek and, more recently, volunteered at a cat rescue shelter, where he adopted Iris, a snowshoe Himalayan that he doted on.
Tim’s most outstanding feature was his friendly, easy-going personality and general positive attitude. He would talk to anyone about anything but especially liked talking about sports. He followed most of the major college and professional teams in Michigan, particularly the Detroit Lions and Tigers. Tim’s optimism and accomplishments are an inspiration. He is gone too soon and is greatly missed.
The family requests that any donations in memory of Tim may be made to the Spina Bifida Association, Companion Cats or Indian Trails Camp.
To leave online messages of condolence, please visit www.kevintiddfuneralhome.com.
