Stephen Frederick Schulte, 1894–1970

Stephen Frederick Schulte (aka “Pick”) was born on a small farm on 28 March 1894 in Flint Hill, St. Charles County, Missouri. He was the son of Joseph Schulte and Ida Boehmer. His grandfather had originally emigrated to America partially to avoid being drafted into the Prussian Army, and like a lot of Germans, he was influenced by the Gottfried Duden book, Report on a Journey to the Western States of North America and a Stay of Several Years Along the Missouri (During the Years 1824, ’25, ’26, 1827). His father was very strict. No one ever ate supper until he was ready, and then his father ate first and had the first choice of portions. He would send Stephen and the rest of the boys out to look for worms and set up the fishing poles when the fish were biting––and then tell them to call him when it was all set up for him to fish! He used to send the boys out for rabbits for dinner with just a couple of bullets and a gun. If they didn’t bag two rabbits, they had to find another way to get them before they came home.

Eventually, Stephen had his own farm but abandoned that after flooding and a couple of poor seasons to get a job as a laborer so he could have enough money to get married. On 9 May 1930, he married Odelia Mary Parr, at St. Theodore Parish in Flint Hill. She was the daughter of John Martin Parr and Mary Clara Rothermich. From this marriage came the following children: John Joseph, Leona Marie, Odelia Jeanette, Stephen Sylvester, Cecil Alexius, and Quentin. After trying his hand at farming, around 1930 he came to Jennings, Missouri, in North St. Louis County, attended mass at Corpus Christi parish, and went to work at the nearby Chevrolet Truck Assembly plant. Stephen once took my father Joe out to shoot rabbits, and even in his advanced years, he was an excellent shot, killing just about every rabbit on the first shot.

He was a devout Catholic who would often wait up at night until his children returned from wherever they were, rosary in hand, sometimes asleep in his chair. And of course, he frequently enjoyed a good cigar. (Well I’m not actually sure if they were “good,” but I do remember the smell of cigar smoke, which back then I always associated with my grandfather.)

He died on 25 June 1970 and was laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery.

Submitted by Mark Schulte, Stephen’s grandson
16 July 2025
© 2026, St. Louis Genealogical Society