Cap’n Cosine

Last weekend’s venture to the ‘burg for “Christmas in…” (1) was followed the next morning by services at Vicksburg United Methodist Church, where I am still a member after signing up at age 16.  In the bulletin was listed “Remembering Our Church Family and Friends with Christmas Wishes”.  They were mainly shut ins and those who had lost a loved one.  On the list was one Marilyn Schutter.  She’d be one dealing with a loss, still.  The emotions that welled up in me thinking about her husband made me sure I had to write her a letter.  I was going to post that letter here verbatim till my wife Kathy, who’s very good and well-practiced at reining in my potentially inappropriate behaviors, pointed out that Mrs. Schutter might not want to see so personal a communication become a public document.  But Kathy said it would be o.k. to share my reminisces of my dear teacher, so here goes.

I first knew Mr. Schutter as a teacher, of course.  I believe he taught me how to drive a stick shift, “3-on-the-tree”.  Then, he became our class’ guide through the angles of geometry, our Captain Cosine (the nicest of several nicknames we cooked up for him).  There in the front of the class was this giant of a man who could have beaten any of us to a pulp (and some of us deserved it), but all we got was his gentle way and self-deprecating humor.  He never let on about his sports exploits at K and Western (he was a star football player and champion shot putter), but when he took us to those places, he proudly pointed out their features, like how Western never paved a footpath until students had walked it for a couple years, establishing the best ways to go.

I at least played one sport well enough to get to know him as a coach.  I canned football after my freshman season, so it was on the golf course he got to try to make something of me.  My teams were never champions, but I did letter, and proudly wear that big V on my varsity jacket still (2).  But Mr. Schutter was also assistant coach of boys’ varsity football, and he certainly looked the part.

Mr. Schutter was charged with chaperoning two from my junior class and 3 from the class of ’69 on a “Domestic Exchange” trip to D.C. where we’d visit Lee High School in Alexandria Virginia.  He was also the driver.   I don’t know if he was with us at the time, but I had my first taste of beer at a bar in sight of the White House.  He was always a good sport, and even took pictures of us in scenes less embarrassing than they looked.

He grew to be a friend of my dad, probably through church.  They played golf and became buddies.  He was one of Dad’s pallbearers at his March ’03 funeral.

I regret I lost contact with my old teacher.  I’m sure he was kinda surprised when my dad told him tales of how I seemed to be making something of myself.  I heard through the grapevine of his struggles with Parkinsonism.  So sad a man who could once do so much with his strong body would now be shackled with that horrible disease.

When I heard of his passing last December, I communicated the news to all my VHS’70 classmates who had an e-mail address.  I received many replies with fond remembrances.  If the Captain had any enemies at VHS, they weren’t in my class.

There’s a video with scenes from his life as part of his obituary on amsfuneralhomes.com (3).  I recognize some of those shots!  It demonstrates clearly how the Schutters had a rich and full life together.

I’ll forever miss him, grateful for all he did for me, and will never forget him.

References

1. Christmas in the BURG.  https://downtown.vicksburgmi.org

2. Ike B.  varsity jacket. WordPress 4/14/22.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2022/04/14/varsity-jacket/

3. Paul H. Schutter.  May 1, 1933 – December 11, 2022.  Vicksburg.   Avink McCowen Secord Funeral Homes https://www.amsfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/paul-schutter