Leaving behind a legacy of dedicated service

Former trustee named Hinckley’s 2021 Citizen of the Year

by Melissa Martin

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Raymond Schulte may never have heard Mahatma Gandhi deliver these timeless words of wisdom, but those closest to the former trustee say they easily could have served as his life’s motto.

“Ray the politician, Ray the loving husband, father and grandfather was completely dedicated to service of others,” Hinckley Township resident David Manley said.

That impassioned commitment, along with more than 19 years of public service in the community he called home, are just two of the many reasons Schulte has been named the township’s 2021 Citizen of the Year.

Manley was one of several township residents who nominated Schulte, who passed away Jan. 30 due to complications from COVID-19, to receive the township’s top honor this year. To say he knew Schulte well is an understatement.

As he explained in his nomination letter, the Manley and Schulte families have been close friends for nearly 20 years. Not only did Manley and his wife, Ruth Ann, spend “hundreds of Friday nights at Fosters, as well as many Saturday date nights together,” with Schulte and his wife, Emma, but their families also traveled together on several vacations, even attending each others’ family reunions, Manley said.

With utmost certainty, he says, “no one was more dedicated to the short- and long-term success of Hinckley Township than Ray.”

Schulte, who worked for Pepsi Co. for more than 40 years before retiring five years ago as a regional sales manager, began his tenure as township trustee in 2006. Prior to his appointment to the board, he served as a member of the township’s board of zoning appeals and also took on leadership roles in the Medina County Township Association, the Medina County Senior Advisory Council, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Hinckley Historical Society and numerous other local, charitable organizations.

Chuck Gibson, a former Citizen of the Year himself, also nominated Schulte for the honor.

“Even though he won’t be able to personally accept the COTY Award, I believe it [will be] a very fitting tribute to a dedicated individual who kept Hinckley paramount in his heart,” Gibson wrote in his nomination letter.

Gibson said the way Schulte handled township business and how he worked tirelessly to obtain support from all sides of an issue was remarkable.

“He knew it wasn’t always easy, but he just kept trying to work with all those involved with township business to make progress,” he said.

Gibson had the opportunity to work closely with the Hinckley Historical Society for several years and said, “You could count on him for support for our various historical projects, whether it involved physically pitching in or helping to garner support from other people or sources,” he said. “We really appreciated his help, particularly his ability to acquire additional funds to repair and improve the historical house property.”

Manley credits Schulte for spending “hundreds of hours” in pursuit of two grants, which ultimately enabled the historical society to replace the wheel chair ramp with a chair lift as well as improve the looks of the rear of the building.

All of his behind-the-scenes work is what made Schulte such an exemplary public servant, Manley and Gibson agree. Not only did he assist in procuring zero-interest loans to fix Hinckley streets – protecting the township’s cash reserves in the process – but he spent 40 to 50 hours per week at the administration building for the past five years assisting all department heads and any township resident who needed help.

“He helped secure funding for several individual residents to fix septic systems, wells, driveways, drainage issues and on and on,” Manley said.

Manley also credits Schulte for spending countless hours updating Hinckley’s zoning regulations in an effort to protect the community’s rural character as well as all the best interest of all township property owners.

“I have personal knowledge, that Ray, as Hinckley’s cheerleader, spent many hours with Hinckley residents who owned business to get them to move their business into the township,” he said, noting that Schulte once was able to convince a local resident to donate $100,000 to spruce up the front of the old fire station as well as fix a few items inside to make hosting township meetings easier. “The virtual system now being used by the township is due, in great part, to Ray’s ability to reach out to obtain the money necessary.”

His dedication to making his community better didn’t stop there, however. During his tenure, Schulte re-established the township’s Memorial Day parade and created the annual Citizen of the Year award, unaware that he would eventually become a recipient and the first to be named posthumously.

Schulte is also remembered for his work with the Hinckley Chamber of Commerce. Not only was he an avid participant in Buzzard Sunday, taking pictures and working various jobs in the kitchen, but he also located several awards that had been given to the chamber and had them refurbished.

Schulte also updated the plaque commemorating the names of all township trustees, both past and present, after it had fallen into disarray, Manley said.

“Ray’s infectious smile [may be] gone but the results of his resolve and work will live on,” he added.

Trustee Melissa Augustine, who serves on the Citizen of the Year selection committee, calls Schulte a mentor and says his impacts on the community will live on indefinitely.

“Ray’s passion for our town and all the great advancements he worked to achieve will endure and we continue to reap the rewards of his dedicated work,” Augustine said. “As the person who created the Citizen of the Year award, there is no better citizen to be recognized as such for 2021. It was my honor to have worked with him on this committee and see him named this year. His legacy as a dedicated steward will never be forgotten.” 

The 2021Citizen of the Year Award will be presented to Schulte’s wife, Emma, a 2018 Citizen of the Year award recipient, and the couple’s children and grandchildren as part of the Memorial Day ceremony May 31. ∞