Arthur Keith Schulte

January 15, 1933 - December 17, 2024

Arthur Keith Schulte was born two months prematurely on January 15, 1933 in Topeka, Kansas to Arthur and Cora (Gookins) Schulte. He was the youngest of three boys. Keith grew up in Topeka. He entered the Army in 1954 and served in France for 18 months as a sanitation inspector. After returning to Topeka, he met Alberta Martinie, the love of his life, and they were married on May 5, 1957. They had a son, Alan, and a daughter, Terri. Keith worked as a salesman for Proctor & Gamble, and the family lived in a suburb of St. Louis, MO before moving to a very small, rural town in the Ozarks of Missouri where Keith discovered his love of building by renovating an old farmhouse and building a new house. Sadly, Terri passed away in 1978 when she was just 15 as a result of a car-train accident.

In the mid-1980s, Keith and Alberta moved to St. Cloud, MN to be closer to son Alan, daughter-in-law Pat, and three grandchildren. In 1991, Keith took early retirement from Proctor & Gamble, and he and Alberta moved to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada to volunteer at the Maxwell International Baha'i School where Alberta served as a school nurse and Keith was a handyman extraordinaire. In 1993, they moved to Bismarck, ND to be close to Alan, Pat, and grandsons Nathan, Scott, and Ryan. When Alan and his family moved to the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1997, Keith and Alberta were not far behind. They lived in Rapid City from 1998 to 2024 when they moved to Pine Hills Retirement Community in Hot Springs.

Keith was a second generation Baha'i and was actively involved in the Baha'i Faith his entire life. He was quick to share the message of love and unity with everyone he came across. Keith made friends everywhere he went and never met a person he didn't like. He saw the good in everyone and made everyone feel special and loved.

Keith loved his grandsons dearly and talked often about the fine men they had become. He was delighted that a fourth generation Schulte boy joined the family in March 2024 when great-grandson Wren was born. Keith had photos of Wren taped to almost every available space.

Keith had other loves in his life, including music and good (or not so good; okay - downright cringe worthy) puns. He participated in the Shrine of Democracy Barbershop Chorus for many years and had a joke and a song for every occasion. He thought that everyone could sing and often greeted people that he just met with "where do you sing?"

Keith is survived by his wife Alberta; son Alan and daughter-in-law Pat Schulte of Hot Springs, SD; grandson Nathan Schulte, granddaughter-in-law Kristy Gonyer, and great-grandson Wren of Portland, OR; grandson Scott Schulte and his fiancée Sydney Songstad of Albuquerque, NM; grandson Ryan Schulte of Rapid City, SD; former foster child Tynan Sullivan, and nieces, nephews, and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter Terri, parents Art and Cora, and brothers Don and Bob.