Arthur Chris Schutte
Jan. 21, 1914 - Dec. 10, 2009
Arthur Chris Schutte played his last game of cards and is now waltzing across heaven with his beloved wife, Idell. Art died on December 10, 2009, leaving a 95-year, 11-month legacy of hard work, devotion, loyalty faith and love.
Art was born on Jan. 21, 1914, in Campbell, Neb., the first born of 14 children of Olympe LeBlanc and Joseph Schutte. Art spent the early years of his life attending school in Peetz, Colo., which he left after the eighth grade to help support his growing family of siblings. Art moved to Greybull, Wyoming in 1935 following his younger brother Ray, who was making the grand sum of $35 a month as a ranch hand there — $10 more than Art was making in Colorado at the time. Art worked for Phillip’s Dairy, then for T.J. Hill, a Basin farmer, and in the summer of 1935 he shoveled beets for 10-cents a ton.  In 30 days that year Art and his friend Dale Hill averaged 50 tons of beets per day. With his earnings Art proudly purchased an “Oakland All-American 6” automobile. In between farm work Art worked at construction, hauled gravel, pulled weeds, fixed fences, cleaned ditches, fixed sheep pens, hauled manure and cut wood. In 1936 Art worked in the Big Horn Mountains, felling 50 trees per day by himself. On Dec. 5, 1938 he became a Fuller Brush Man.
Soon after arrival in Greybull, Art met the love of his life, beautiful Idell Michael, a Greybull native. He courted her at movies and dances, and on May 8, 1937, married her at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greybull. Over the next 22 years, Art fathered nine children: six girls and three boys.
Art went to work on a railroad section gang in Spence, Wyo., on April 18, 1939. When work on the tracks halted during the winter, Art did odd jobs to support his family and kept moving between jobs until 1942, when he joined the CB&Q railroad train service in Greybull. He began as a brakeman on freight trains and four years later was promoted to conductor. Art worked for the railroad for 36 years and was never laid off and continually expressed thanks to God for such a great job, especially because he had only an eighth grade formal education.
In 1944 Art and Idell purchased their first and only home at 305 6th Ave. South in Greybull — for $1,200. They raised their family there and even after Idell’s death in 2005, Art continued to reside there until last winter when he moved to Bonnie Bluejacket’s to escape the winter snow. The Schutte home was renowned for its garden, flowers and lush lawn — upon which a dandelion would not dare to poke its head for fear of an Art Schutte attack with cuticle scissors.
Besides his wife and family, Art had four passions in his life: his Catholic faith, card-playing, dancing and sports. Art was a servant of God and the Catholic Church throughout his life. He was a devoted member of the Sacred Heart Parish and the Knights of Columbus for 60-plus years, and requested that he be buried in his Knight’s uniform.
Art was also a life member of the Greybull Elks Club and had wished he could have worked his way up in the chairs of the Elks, but his seven-days-a-week, 16-hour days on the railroad prevented that. Art also cherished his long time membership in the Eagles and continued to play Pan at the Eagles Lodge in Basin every Monday until just before his death. Art continued to play pinochle at the Senior Center, and anywhere else he could find a game until the end.
He also danced every chance he got, and with his daughter Diana (and several others) at her 50th wedding anniversary in September 2008.
Greybull residents are well aware of Art’s 65-year appearances at most ball games in town. The softball complex in south Greybull — now the site of the elementary school — was named the Art Schutte Athletic Complex because of Art’s enthusiastic support of all sports in Greybull. Two of Art’s most memorable life events were attending Super Bowl XXVIII with his sons Mike, Pete and Tim, in Atlanta, and after years of seeing people rolling their eyes at his, “I’d like to go to the World Series when the Rockies get in,” attending the final game of the 2007 World Series in Denver with his son, Mike.
Art also loved travel of all kinds. He and Idell traveled throughout the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, Europe and the Philippines, and after Idell’s death he continued to enjoy trips all over the country with his kids, most often with his son, Pete.
Being the beloved Patriarch of an exceptionally large family — when his Grandmother Maria Schutte died in 1966 she left 340 direct descendants — Art was the center of attention (and played a lot of pinochle) at the frequent Schutte family reunions in Brush, Colo., and Monroe, Wis.
Over the past decade during his visits to see Idell or other relatives and friends at Bonnie Bluejacket’s, Art had come to know all of the staff and most of the residents there. He considered all of them his friends and continually expressed appreciation for the good care and good food he received there. He especially valued his friendship with Elsie Michaelis that developed at Bonnie’s.
Also in the past several years, Art really looked forward to coffee with his buddies each morning at the drug store (and later at the Sugar Shack), Wednesday night dinners with various friends and relatives, most particularly his daughter Julia, and outings with his special friend Dixie Cummings.
Art was a dedicated and caring husband, father, grandfather and brother. He is survived by his nine children, all of whom were in Greybull this past January to celebrate his 95th birthday: Diana (Tom) Dowling, Helena, Mont.; Julia Cheatham, Greybull; Mike (Karen) Schutte, Fort Collins, Colo.; Patsy (Rudy) Cox, Denver; Kay (S.J.) Bryan, Hobbs, N.M.; Pete (Barbara) Schutte, Sheridan, Wyo.; Christina (Wayne) Miller, Colville, Wash.; Angela Schutte, Greeley, Colo.; Tim (Janeen) Schutte, Purcellville, Va.; 31 grandchildren; 49 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothers Bernard (Jean) Schutte, George (Algreta) Schutte, Joe (Mary) Schutte and sisters, Dolores (Vic) Chambers, Ginny Dale, Vivian (Dorman) Raines, Yvonne Schroer and Margaret Stewart.
He was preceded in death by his wife Idell, his brothers Albert, Raymond, Daniel and William, and his grandsons John Arthur Cheatham and Nick Cox.
Visitation was Wednesday, Dec. 15, 5-7 p.m., with Rosary following at Atwood’s Funeral Home. A funeral mass will be offered on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. at Church of the Sacred Heart with burial in Odessa Cemetery.
Family and friends are invited to a reception at BPOE 1431 in Greybull following the burial service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made either to the Art Schutte Memorial Fund at the Bank of Greybull, where donations will be divided between the Odessa Cemetery and Bonnie Bluejacket’s Nursing Home, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

(Paid obituary)