Burnie Schulze

Burnie Henry Schulze, age 87 of Shelby, passed away on December 1, 2013 at Sendera Ranch Assisted Living in Magnolia, Texas. He was born on October 28, 1926 in the Shelby community to Herbert Carl and Frida Reuter Schulze. He was baptized on February 27, 1927 in Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Round Top and confirmed in the Lutheran faith on September 8, 1940. He attended Shelby Public School through the 8th grade and then lived and worked on his parent''s farm. He was inducted into the US Army in April 1945 and served with the Cannon Company, 387th Infantry Regiment, 97th Division in the Army of Occupation of Japan, first on Honshu in the cities of Tokyo and Ota, and later on Kyushu. After his discharge in May 1946, he returned to the family farm and took vocational training courses for military veterans in Industry, Texas. For a time in the late 1940s, he played fiddle and guitar with Bob and His Rhythm Wranglers, a group of young people from Shelby who played at dances in the area. He married Burdine Faye Mueller on June 24, 1950 in Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Greenvine. He purchased a farm in the Shelby community adjoining his father''s and brother''s farms and there he and Burdine farmed for all their working lives. Except for a few summers working for the USDA Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service measuring cotton allotments, he earned his living entirely from the diversified crop and livestock farming typical of the area. Soil conservation was a way of life and he and Burdine received the Resident Conservationist of the Year award in 1974 from the Austin County Soil and Water Conservation District. They also received an award for Outstanding Farming in the Community from the Industry West End Lions Club. Burnie was the last row crop farmer in the Shelby community as the area transitioned from the cotton, grain, hay, and livestock farming of the previous 150 years to the ranching economy of today. Burnie was a lifelong member of St. Paul Lutheran Church of Shelby, where he sang in the choir, served on the Church Council, and served as director of the Sunday School. He was a charter member of Shelby American Legion Post #602 and served as Commander, and he was a member of the Shelby Volunteer Fire Department. In his later years he was an avid racing pigeon fancier and a member of the Brenham Racing Pigeon Club. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Burdine, brother Melvin Schulze, and brothers-in-law Roy Schlabach and Kirby Mueller. He is survived by his sister, Verline Schlabach of Brenham, sisters-in-law, Katy Schulze of Shelby and Darcille Mueller of Latium, sons Darrell Schulze wife Diane Stott of West Lafayette, IN, Roger Schulze wife Evon of Brenham, TX, and Mark Schulze wife Lisa of Magnolia, TX, and seven grandchildren, Brian Schulze of West Lafayette, IN, Kathrine Schulze of Bloomington, IN, Amy Schulze Dahmann husband Jonathan of Dallas, Rebecca Schulze and Elizabeth Schulze, both of Brenham, and Ryan Schulze and Matthew Schulze, both of Magnolia. Services will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, December 5 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Shelby with internment in the Shelby Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening at Memorial Oaks Chapel. Memorial donations can be made to St. Paul Lutheran Church of Shelby or the charity of choice. Funeral arrangemenats for Burnie Henry Schulze are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 12306 W. Main in Brenham. To post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.