Wilma (Baker) Schultz

April 24, 1934 - January 23, 2006

Wilma (Baker) Schultz of Somerset, long time educator in Dighton and Taunton, died on January 23, 2006, of complications due to heart disease. She was 71 years old.

She was the wife of Richard Edward Schultz, who predeceased her in 2003. She is survived by their children Elizabeth Schultz Dale of Holden, MA; Eric Baker Schultz, his wife Susan, and their children Nicholas, Abigail and Emily, all of Boxford, MA; and Carl Edward and Andrew King Schultz, both of San Francisco, CA. She is also survived by her niece Linda Litchfield Belenger and her husband Robert, of Raynham; great niece Kim Belenger Avila, her husband Tom, and their children Corrie, Aimee and Bailey, all of North Dighton; great nephew Jon Edward Belenger, his wife Karen, and their children Alexandra and Taylor, of Somerset; and great niece Kristin Leigh Oliveira of San Francisco. She was the daughter of the late Winthrop L. and Miriam G. Baker of Taunton.

Mrs. Schultz grew up in Taunton, lived briefly in Virginia and Ohio during her husband’s military service, and became a resident of North Dighton in 1959. She and her husband also owned a home in Mattapoisett and summered at Crescent Beach with their children for many years. They moved to Mattapoisett in 1990 and then to Somerset about 4 years ago.

Mrs. Schultz attended Taunton public schools and graduated from Bridgewater State College in 1956, going on to teach kindergarten and first grade for more than 30 years. In addition, she greatly enjoyed storytelling in the Godly Play religious education program of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, where she was a member all of her adult life.

Mrs. Schultz was hired as principal and first grade teacher at Brick House School in 1962. In 1965 she became a first grade teacher at Mulcahey School, leaving in 1968 to have her fourth and last child. In 1973 she became principal of Leddy Street and Summer Street schools, which comprised Taunton’s first centralized kindergarten program, and was instrumental in its success. In a 1979 article in the Brockton Daily Enterprise, Superintendent of Schools Edward Aleixo said, "’Whenever I'm feeling down, or having a bad day, I stop by the Leddy or Summer Street Schools. That always lifts my spirits....’ With an enrollment of 600 children, Taunton's kindergarten program became a model of effective preschool education where, Mrs. Schultz said, ‘Our ultimate goal is to make every child feel some measure of success everyday.’"

When kindergarten classrooms were dispersed to the elementary schools in 1981 because of budgetary cuts, Mrs. Schultz was hired as kindergarten teacher by Dighton Elementary School. She retired in 1993 but continued to substitute teach in Dighton and Mattapoisett until shortly before her death.

The following article appeared in the Taunton Gazette on November 10, 1987:

"ACTIVELY SPEAKING, MRS. SCHULTZ IS TOPS. Devotion to her children's education, lifelong participation in community and church affairs, and interests that range from reading to membership on a prize-winning Trivial Pursuit team are some reasons why friends and coworkers think Wilma Schultz is tops…. Mrs. Schultz was born in Taunton and grew up in an energetic, active family that took part in the community as a matter of course. Her mother was the East Taunton librarian and a member of the Taunton School Committee for 22 years and at the age of 88 still is an avid reader. Education has been Mrs. Schultz's profession ever since she graduated from Bridgewater State College. She taught pre-school and grade one at the Brickhouse School, first grade at Mulcahey, and was the first principal of the kindergarten center at Leddy and Summer Street schools, where she helped to set up the new program for 600 students and train the new staff…. She and her husband, Richard, live in Dighton, where she has taught for the past six years…. She stopped working for several years to stay home while her four children were growing up; the youngest is a sophomore at Brown. In addition to her family and her teaching career, she has found plenty of time and energy to serve as chairman of the annual fair at St. Thomas Episcopal Church and on the Altar Guild, teach Sunday school, volunteer at Morton Hospital as a Gray Lady and in the gift shop, and serve as president of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international organization of key women educators."

Her professional associations were Delta Kappa Gamma Society, for which she served as president 1986-1988 as well as recording secretary and parliamentarian, and South Eastern Reading Council (SERC), for which she was membership chairman, corresponding secretary, and historian. She was also co-chairman of school evaluations for Union 37.

She was a Dighton Public Library trustee for 20 years, and at various times chairman of the Community Chest, Heart Fund and cancer drives in Dighton. She sat on the Taunton Visiting Nurse Board and the Girls Club Board of Directors. She was a member of the Quota Club and Taunton Mother’s Club, also serving as president and reunion chairman of the latter. In Mattapoisett she was treasurer of the Crescent Beach Improvement Association.

During her many years at St. Thomas Church, Mrs. Schultz was active on the Christian Education committee, Altar Guild, Every Member Canvas, and Vestry, and served as Church Fair chairman, Diocesan delegate, Lector, and Christmas pageant reader.

She worked as swimming instructor at Edgewood Country Club and originated the girls swimming program at the Taunton YMCA.

Her volunteer work included 35 years at Morton Hospital, where she especially enjoyed the gift shop, and many years with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Children (MSPCC) in charge of layettes.

Her commitment to civic involvement was rooted early in girlhood activities. She was especially proud to have been president of the Taunton High School Girls Public Speaking Club as well as Past Worthy Advisor and Past Grand Religion of Taunton Assembly #13 Rainbow for Girls.

Funeral Information

Calling hours will be held on Friday, January 27, from 4-7 p.m. at Crapo-Hathaway Funeral Home on Route 138 in Taunton.

Funeral service will be held on Saturday, January 28, at 9 a.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 111 High Street, Taunton, followed by a brief committal service at Mayflower Cemetery and breakfast collation in the St. Thomas parish hall.

Donations Information

The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be sent to the Wilma Baker Schultz Fund at St. Thomas Episcopal Church.