Robert I Schantz

Robert Irwin “Bob” Schantz, 85, died September 26 in Seattle, WA. He was born May 13, 1930 in Flasher, North Dakota, one of ten children of Gabriel and Rose Schantz. In March 1947, his family moved to Seattle, WA, and Bob lived in the Puget Sound area for the rest of his life. He served as a radio operator in the 7th infantry division from March 1951 to December 1952 during the Korean War. After his time in the Army, he worked as a welder and started his own business, S & W Metal Products. In the mid 1960s, he designed and manufactured Vemco Infra-Ray stainless steel heaters for use in RVs and campers, and his business thrived as he sold them throughout the Western U.S. Bob was an avid reader and tinkerer and was continually working on inventions either as side projects or to improve the design for the manufacturing he was contracted to do. He loved to research and experiment, and also took pride in the quality of his metalwork and built everything to last. He earned two international patents. Bob enjoyed skiing and skating for much of his life, and, in later years spent several days a week at the ice or roller rink. He was a skilled and graceful skater, and, watching him, you would never suspect that he spent most of his life working with sheet metal. He was not content with the mechanical design of even the finest roller skates, so he designed and built custom trucks for his own skates, providing himself with a competitive advantage at the rink. Though Bob’s health brought an end to his skating in his early 80s, his mind stayed sharp, and he continued to dream about his next invention. The only thing that he seemed to enjoy talking about more was his kids and grandkids. Happy stories about his grandchildren in recent years seemed even to have replaced the sad stories of his childhood in North Dakota that he used to tell (and retell) to his kids when they were young. Bob is survived by his children: Ed Schantz, Wilkeson, WA; Pat and Jennifer Schantz, Bonney Lake, WA; Shawn and Amy Schantz, Dunwoody, GA; Laura and Paul Komada, Seattle, WA; Yvonne and Mike Kamrowski, Lacey, WA and Eugene and Hollie Schantz, The Woodlands, TX. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and his sisters Alvina Ballinger and Liz Pearce of Bremerton, WA. Bob was predeceased by his parents; his sisters Maria and Polly and brothers Edward, Leonard, Frank, Larry and Oliver. His funeral will be held at Saint Andrew Catholic Church, 1401 Valley Ave, Sumner, WA, at 11:00, Friday, October 23. He will be buried at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240th St, Kent, WA, at 2:00.