Obituary of Vincent Schutt

Vincent Norman Schutt, 88, passed away April 24, 2013. He was a loving husband, devoted father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and caring friend to all who knew him. Vince was born on September 14, 1924, in Bismarck, ND, to the late Fred and Minnie Schutt. He was a self-made man who left the farm in North Dakota at age 16, and worked various jobs, including selling books door-to-door, until he entered onto active duty in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1944. Upon discharge from the service, he went back to selling books for several years until he went to work for American Building Maintenance Corporation (ABM) in San Francisco. Over the next ten years, he progressed from janitor to the position of regional vice president of American Building Maintenance East Coast Division. In 1960, he opened the ABM office in Jacksonville and ran that until 1965, when he bought out ABM in Jacksonville and opened V & I Maintenance Corp with his wife, Inez. As he put it in those early years, he cleaned the toilets and she kept the books when she wasn't running a vacuum. The business grew over the next 20 years, handling accounts such as St. Vincent's Hospital, Gulf Life Tower, the Anheuser Busch plant, and the Jacksonville International Airport. At the airport, he ran not only the provision of janitorial services but also provided security services at the several concourse gates. In 1985, with a work force of over 400 employees, he was approached by and ended up selling his company to ABM, the company he had started working for back in the 50's in San Francisco. After sale of the company, he had a successful retirement, enjoying life until his death. Over the course of his years in the business community, he participated in and belonged to many local service and business organizations, including but not limited to the Southside Lions Club, Southside Businessmen's Club, Downtown Rotary, Sales and Marketing Executives of Jacksonville, and other trade associations. Socially, he was a member of Moosehaven, San Jose Country Club, Hidden Hills Country Club, River Club, and was one of the main sponsors in the early days of the Greater Jacksonville Open. Spiritually, he was a long-time and devoted member of the congregation at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Jacksonville Beach. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Inez Schutt; their children, Dennis Schutt (Kathy) of Jacksonville, Florida; Debra Purtee (Bill) of Houston, Texas; Dawn Brannon (Mark) of Los Angeles, California; Darrin Schutt (Mandy) of Cape Coral, Florida; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and other family members and friends. Family will receive friends in the chapel at Arlington Park Funeral Home, 6920 Lone Star Road, Jacksonville beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 28, 2013. Funeral service will follow at 2:00 p.m. Officiating will be Pastor Dana Brones.