Inez Mildred Schutt, 94, born March 25, 1922, in Oakley, Kansas
to George and Bertha (Katzenmeier) Ehrlich, passed away March 6, 2017, at Sunrise Senior Living of Jacksonville, Florida.

Inez was raised on a working farm outside of Oakley, Kansas, where she and her siblings grew up raising livestock and growing and harvesting multiple grain crops in the "wheat belt of America". Her household chores included everything from feeding the chickens to cleaning the barn and driving the tractors.

She graduated from Oakley High School in 1940 and went on to Nursing School with the goal of joining the US Army to serve during World War II. She graduated from Halstead School of Nursing in Halstead, KS, in 1943 and worked in a local hospital as she waited to hear from the US Army; however, the War ended before she was brought on active duty. She continued working as a nurse in Kansas for a short period of time. In 1946, she met a traveling book salesman named Vincent Schutt, an Army Veteran who was pursuing a career as a traveling salesman for a large encyclopedia book company. After a whirlwind romance, Inez and Vincent were married in 1946 in Kansas.

After they were married, they settled down in California and their first child, Dennis Robert Schutt, was born in August 1947 in San Francisco, CA. Shortly after the birth of Dennis, Vincent went to work for American Building Maintenance Corp. (ABM) as a janitor. As Vince progressed up the corporate ladder, Inez stayed home as a wife and mother and, in 1951, gave birth to their second child, Debra Gail. With two children under her wing, Inez then began the full-time job of following her husband around the country as he climbed the corporate ladder with ABM. Their travels took them from San Francisco to Bakersfield, and on to San Jose, California. They eventually were transferred to New York for a number of years before being brought back to California and then on to a position in Detroit, Michigan. Inez then had to also fulfill the role of a senior executive's wife with the new duties of entertaining clients and corporate executives. During their last five years in Michigan, they moved to a "country farm" in Milford where, with the help of her mother-in law, Minnie Schutt, Inez raised her children as well as chickens, horses, dogs and cats. In 1960, they were offered the opportunity to open ABM's new office in Jacksonville, FL. They gathered up the kids, said goodbye to the three foot snow drifts, and headed south to "the Sunshine state".

In 1965, Inez and Vince, became the sole proprietors of ABM in Jacksonville, and named it "V&I Maintenance Corp." They were the head janitors at the start of this new adventure, and their first account was the Atlantic National Bank on the corner of Emerson and Philips Hwy. In addition to her duties of cleaning windows and toilets, Inez was also the company Accountant and Vice President for the next twenty years. The business grew over those 20 years, with a work force of over 400 employees handling accounts such as St. Vincent's Hospital, Gulf Life Tower, the Anheuser Busch plant and the Jacksonville International Airport. In an amazing turnaround in 1985, Vince and Inez sold their business back to ABM, where it all started.

In 1965, they decided that they did not have enough to do as new business owners. With Dennis in college and Debra in high school, they decided they needed to add more joy and excitement to their lives, so they adopted Dawn (April 1965) and Darrin (May 1965), both newborns. Inez was a Pioneer and paved the way for many other "working moms" as she spent the next years juggling duties as a new mom, the mother of two college students, and as VP of a blossoming company.

Several years prior to the sale of V&I and retirement, Inez decided she would like to run a Hallmark Card store. Thus was born "Dee's Hallmark." Why a name like "Dee's?" All four children's name began with a "D," thus "Dee's." After several years of her children getting discounts on their cards and gifts, she was ready for a second retirement and sold that business. She then made her goal in life to win play money in video gambling games on the internet and enjoying her grandchildren.

Inez also enjoyed playing golf and traveling domestically and internationally. Her "bucket list" included visits to Australia and Europe. While in Europe, they actually made a point of visiting Darrin's birth mother, Fieke Von Birckhahn.

Inez was a longtime devoted member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Jacksonville Beach. She lived in Jacksonville Beach over forty years and very much enjoyed the beach community. She and Vince enjoyed retirement until his death on April 24, 2013. They were married 67 years.

Inez is survived by her four children, Dennis Schutt (Kathy) of Jacksonville, FL; Debra Purtee (Bill) of Houston, TX; Dawn Brannan (Mark) of Palm Springs, CA; and Darrin Schutt (Mandy), of Fort Myers, FL; her sister, Lillian Von Lintel, age 96, of Garden City, KS; as well as several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many other family members.

The family will receive family and friends for visitation beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, 2017, in the chapel of Arlington Park Funeral Home located at 6920 Lone Star Road, Jacksonville, Florida. A Celebration of Life service will follow at 11:00 a.m. Pastor, Dana Brones, will officiate.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Arlington Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 6920 Lone Star Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32211 (904) 724-6384.