Remembering Richard Frank Schulte, Sr.

Richard Frank Schulte, Sr. passed away at age 87 on July 30th. His death concluded an outstanding life! He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Suzanne, four children, Jeff (Kathryn), Molly (David), Richard (Jessica) and Suzanne (Rick), as well as 8 grandchildren, Jeffrey, Kirsten, Elizabeth, Mary, Olivia, James, Cooper and Becker. He is also survived by his sister, Myra Manderfield and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his brother, Bill Schulte and sister, Betty Schilling. Richard was born in Northern Kentucky outside Cincinnati where he proudly attended St. Xavier High School. He remained a loyal “Bomber” after his time on the football field, and even returned to coach in later years. His love of sport was matched only by a love for academia: He graduated from Xavier University with a BA in English, completed a Masters in English at Ohio University and worked diligently on a law degree while simultaneously starting his career. With his educational credentials tucked under his arm, he set his sights on the world’s largest consumer products company, Procter & Gamble. Without having been recruited, Richard marched into the world headquarters and was hired within the week. He grew into a gifted marketing and advertising executive at P&G and built many lifelong friendships in the process. In 1972, he was hired for a senior marketing position by the Chairman & CEO of Deltona Corporation, Frank Mackle, Jr., after immediately impressing them during a promotional campaign meeting with P&G. In a bold move and to the dismay of his colleagues, he left his beloved P&G and moved his young family to Miami, Florida. He excelled at Deltona where he became Executive Vice President and a Member of the Board of Directors. To expand Deltona’s success, he created a sales and marketing organization that spanned the United States, Western Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Pacific Rim. He enjoyed his frequent travel to global offices, never failing to bring home surprises for his children. The company’s prized development, Marco Island, was where Richard oversaw multi-family projects including Mariner, Sea Watch, Royal Seafarer and The Summit House condominiums, as well as the largest of Deltona’s assets, The South Seas Club. He conceived and designed homes that would appeal to a worldwide audience. He shared and expanded Frank Mackle’s vision of Marco Island as a second home sanctuary away from the bustle of daily life. His beachfront projects reflect that vision and purposefully excluded commercial or retail development. Work on Marco led to production of the annual Tony Lema Memorial Golf Tournament celebrating philanthropy and friendship, values he held above most others. Richard’s contributions while at Deltona laid the foundation for what Marco Island is today. 

Following a successful career with Deltona, Richard started his own global sales and marketing company. He finished his career with The Executive Committee (TEC) helping CEOs across Florida steer their companies to success. 

Aside from his impressive career, Richard was an avid, skilled golfer, belonging to Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati, Riviera in Coral Gables, Eagle Creek in Naples and The Island Club on Marco Island where he played into his 80s. He was a die-hard Notre Dame football fan, a devout Catholic, a leader, a loving spouse, an adoring father and grandfather, and most notably, a friend to all, which his family attributes to his affable personality and intelligence. He will always be remembered when the family gathers for those famous Marco sunsets and cocktails that he loved so much.

A memorial mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky on Saturday, August 27th at 10:30 AM.

A memorial mass at San Marco Catholic Church in Marco Island, Florida will be held at a future date.