Joseph "Jay" Jackson Schultz

Joseph "Jay" Jackson Schultz (77) passed away on September 7, 2023, in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Jay was the son of Harold and Mary (Funck) Schultz.

After a brief stint in the US Army, Jay devoted four decades to Snap-On Tools, working his way up, and ultimately retiring as Director of Asia/Pacific. He lived all over the world in his various roles at the company, making countless lifelong friends along the way. He met his wife, Christine, in Singapore, where they lived for years before moving to Florida with their children in 2005.  

Jay is survived by his devoted wife, Christine Schultz; children, JR (Lauren) Schultz and Annemarie (Sam) Byrne; and grandchildren: Tatum Schultz and Riley Byrne. Their Papa will be greatly missed. He is also survived by his stepchildren, Julian (Michelle) Yang, Jay (Nian Ci) Yang, and Kai Lin (Samuel) Winter, and cherished friends who were dear to his heart. 

In lieu of a formal obituary, we choose to celebrate Jay's remarkable life through the words of his daughter, Annemarie: 

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Larger than life. Honorable. World-Class Orator. Gravitas. Stubborn. Thoughtful. Opinionated. Kind. So many words come to mind and have been common themes as we share stories through laughter and tears. 

Stories that are being shared, across the world, from the US / Singapore / Thailand / UK / Australia / Indonesia / Malaysia / Philippines / Scotland & more — longtime friends and allies of Jay Schultz, grieving his loss and sharing in his memory. Names I’ve never even heard of, reaching out to pay their respects to a man who always took care of others first. I appreciate every note and know that I am not alone in my grief. 

As I sit, wine in hand — a Cabernet, of course. One of those that makes you cough & thump your chest after the first sip. “That’s how you know it’s the good stuff” he would say with a smile — I reflect on what a beautiful life my dad lived. 

A small-town boy; a global executive. 

He experienced the world. Lived more lives than anyone I’ve met, in more cities than I could imagine. I may never know the true extent of his adventures, and questions will have to wait for now. 

What I do know is that he never imagined he would have kids and yet was an incredible father. Armed with decades of experience leading people, he knew how to raise confident, steady humans who knew right from wrong. He made me believe I could do anything. I will forever miss his calm, steadfast demeanor and razor-sharp business sense. Who else is going to leave me voicemails about WSJ write-ups of my clients? 

Airport lounges. Mall Santa’s. Filipino art. Christmas Tree Picking. A single unopened bottle of Bombay Sapphire, passed amongst brothers for decades. There may never come a day that I hear “If It Doesn’t Snow on Christmas” that I don’t break down, but it will be played, over and over, so we can hold his memory dear. 

It’s been beautiful to watch the outpouring of love for this man, my father, my hero. I know you are watching over us. I know you are proud. And we will continue to make you proud by living honorable lives and taking care of our people. 

Salud, Daddy. You can rest now.

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In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer's Association or Dementia Society of America. Your contribution will support the important work of finding a cure for this disease.

In honor of his memory, we encourage friends and family to share stories and photos of Jay’s life below. Your contributions will help us create a book for his grandchildren to cherish and remember him by. Thank you for joining us in celebrating his life.