Mary Jean Schulz

Funeral Mass:

Mary Jean (Wangrud) Schulz passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 23, 2023, at the age of 84 after a long battle with dementia and seizures.

Mary Jean was born in Fargo, ND on October 15, 1939, to Floyd and Mary (Rishel) Wangrud. She grew up in Fargo, attending Roosevelt Grade School, Ben Franklin Jr. High School, and Fargo Central High School, graduating in the Class of 1957.

After graduating in the Class of ’57, Mary Jean attended NDSC (NDSU) and worked at Northwestern Bell telephone.

Mary Jean and Paul were married at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo on August 23, 1958, and Mary Jean continued working at the telephone company while Paul continued school at NDSC.

Their first child, Stacey, was born in March of 1959 in St. Ansgar Hospital in Moorhead, MN. In the spring of 1960, the family moved to the Santa Monica, CA area so Paul could pursue a degree in Photography. While in California Mary Jean worked for California Bell Telephone.
Mary Jean and Paul added to their family while in California with Greg being born in August of 1960 and Christine in December of 1962, both in St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, CA.

Returning to Fargo in June of 1963 Paul worked briefly for a local photography company before Mary Jean and Paul started their own professional photography business in 1965, Paul Schulz Photography, which they owned and operated for more than 25 years. During these years Mary Jean earned several professional association awards and degrees including the Master Artist Degree and the Photographic Craftsman Degree from the Professional Photographers of America, an International Association. She became a very accomplished color artist, oil painting hundreds of high school senior, family, and wedding portraits. When color photography became the norm, she was one of the pioneers in color print enhancement, teaching these techniques to color artists at state, regional, and national professional photographer’s conventions, seminars, and weeklong schools.

Mary Jean was also involved in Fargo organizations and church groups. The Fargo Mrs. Jaycees was a great area of involvement with many of our families providing support for the many activities and programs of the Fargo Jaycees. She also served on many Holy Spirit Catholic Church groups including the Finance Committee and the Women’s Guild.

With the digital revolution in photography Paul was offered, and accepted, a position as Vice President of Business Development & Sales with a leading digital imaging company which moved Mary Jean and Paul to San Diego for the next 18 years.

Mary Jean’s working career ended with the move to San Diego and she became a volunteer, mostly with Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, CA, right next to the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course. She thoroughly enjoyed her 15 years of volunteerism at the hospital, working with the staff and patients. Her favorite activity was working out at the Jacobs Family Campus, trying to keep fit and limber, in addition to taking long walks almost daily.
Mary Jean and Paul enjoyed traveling, with and without the kids, and were fortunate to travel to Hawaii several times during the cold of Fargo’s winters.

When it came time to start considering retirement Mary Jean and Paul looked at many locations in California, Southeast coastal areas, and some central US locations but decided Fargo was the best place to settle down and moved back to Fargo in 2016.
Settling in the far South side of Fargo they became members of Sts. Anne & Joachim Catholic Parish where Mary Jean did some volunteering until dementia started taking a toll on her memory and physical abilities.

Mary Jean is survived by her husband of 65 years, Paul; daughter, Stacey (Schulz) and son-in-law, Steve Kerns, Eden Prairie, MN; son, Greg, and daughter-in-law Karen (Anderson) Schulz, Stillwater, MN; daughter, Christine (Schulz) Oliver, Nipomo, CA; grandchildren, Jessica Kerns, Eden Prairie, MN; Sarah (Kerns) and Wesley Rogers, Minnetrista, MN; great-grandchildren, Haley & Miles Rogers, St. Minnetrista, MN; brother, Don Wangrud, Fargo, ND; sister, Pauline (Wangrud) Olson, Hallock, MN; aunt, Romayne Rishel of Dilworth, MN; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A prayer service will be held at Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo, ND, on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, beginning at 7:00PM, with the visitation beginning one hour prior.

A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, January 4, 2024, at Sts. Anne & Joachim Catholic Church, Fargo, ND, with viewing starting at 9:00AM and Mass at 10:00 AM. Lunch will be served at the church following Mass and burial will follow at Holy Cross North Cemetery.

The family would like to thank the staffs of St. Catherine’s South for their professional and loving care they provided Mary Jean during her stay there, Hospice of the Red River Valley and Essentia Hospital & Clinic for their professionalism and personal care.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to St. Catherine’s South, Hospice of the Red River Valley, or Shanley High School.

Arrangements entrusted to the care of Boulger Funeral Home in Fargo, ND. To sign the online guest book and to view the funeral mass that will be livestreamed, please visit our website at www.boulgerfuneralhome.com.