LeRoy Schultz, 80 -- an icon of the ski industry -- passed away July 15, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was born July 19, 1937 in Ogden, Utah to Peter Schultz and Catherine Kawalski. He married Dana Barth of Salt Lake in 2002.
LeRoy had a lifelong impact on U.S. and Canadian ski industries. After retiring, he continued to provide counsel to industry leaders after 40 years of designing, building, and inspecting ski lifts in two countries, along with many related activities. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his contributions of providing the industry with safe ski lifts.
LeRoy earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah in 1962 and joined Thiokol Chemical Company. Within a couple of years, the U.S. Forest Service in Coer d'Alene, Idaho recruited him. He designed logging roads and developed a fire shelter for fire-fighters which is still in use today. In 1966, he was promoted to Regional Tramway Engineer, charged with overseeing the design and operation of ski lifts on forest service land.
In 1977, he accepted an engineering position in New Hampshire with the largest insurer of ski areas in the U.S. and Canada. He was charged with developing an Engineering and Loss Control Program through inspections that would assure the underwriters that ski lifts met the latest technical standards. Ten years later, he was promoted to Vice President of Engineering [in Salt Lake City] for western ski areas of the New Hampshire Insurance Program. In 1980 he was elected mayor of Brookfield, New Hampshire, and also served as police chief.
He has served on numerous committees dealing with standards, procedures, safety, record keeping, and signage, among others. He received numerous awards and recognitions. Among them, he served on the Ski Areas Board of Montana; was honored by the Rocky Mountain Ski Areas Association for "Outstanding Contributions to the Sport of Skiing," and by the Rocky Mountain Lift Association, for "Outstanding Contributions to furthering the Safety of Ski Lifts." He was cited by an International Organization of Tramway Engineers for his contributions to the advancement of "Ropeways" [ski lifts] as a viable and safe means of transportation. He also received an award from the National Ski Areas Association for "Thirty-five Years of Outstanding Service to the Aerial Passenger Ropeway Industry and Ski Area Association." He was appointed by Utah Governor Jon Huntsman to serve on the Utah State Ropeway Safety Committee, and was named chairman in 2008. In 2016 the Intermountain Lift Association honored LeRoy with the Jan Leonard Award for his contributions to ski lift safety. In 2017, he received the Pioneer Award from the Intermountain Ski Areas Association.
He was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and fish. He owned horses and loved to sail on the Great Salt Lake. In his spare time, he carved all types of ducks.
LeRoy is survived by his wife, Dana; son, Allen [Joan]; stepsons James [Helen], Jerry [Cynthia]; and grandchildren Cassie, and Josh. He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Catherine Craddock, and daughter Charlotte. Many thanks to Brighton Hospice for their outstanding care of LeRoy. He loved them all.
A funeral Mass will be held, Friday, July 27, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 3015 East Creek Road, Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
A very special thanks to Dr. Paul Litka; a friend to the end.
