Posted: 5/8/07
Caledoniaís ëButchí Schutz has been ëMomí to countless children from all walks of life
By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
Motherís Day, which will be celebrated Sunday, is a day set aside to honor, thank, and recognize that person who was always there to make a scrubbed knee feel better, made sure we washed behind our ears, had our homework done, reassured us when we had a nightmare, and saved that last piece of dessert for us.
Thereís an old saying, "once a mother, always a mother." That saying certainly holds true for Philamanie "Butch" Schutz of Caledonia. Although sheís lost count of the exact number, itís safe to say Schutz has been "Mom" to more than 100 kids during the past six decades.
"I always said I wanted a big family, but I didnít know that was the way Iíd get it," she said, as she paged through various photo albums on her coffee table last week. "Iíve just always done stuff with kids. I love them and love being around them."
She and her husband Arnold, had four children: Gary, Janet, Paul, and Mary. Several years after the youngest, Mary, graduated from high school, Schutz found she was suffering from empty nest syndrome. Her husband had passed away a number of years earlier "and after Mary graduated, it was just me and the dog living in a big house," Schutz recalled.
So Schutz decided to sign up for the foreign exchange program at the high school and over the next two decades was mother to 13 different exchange students. The first, in 1979, was a girl from Japan. She had three students from Japan, as well as students from Chili, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Bulgaria.
"I had a lot of fun over the years with the exchange students," Schutz noted. "Many of them came from wealthy families and thought everyone in America was wealthy. Some of them had never even washed dishes before." They learned how to do dishes, and much more at Butchís house.
Schutz wasnít content with having an exchange student at her home each year, she also opened her house up to foster children as well. "I had a five-bedroom house and felt it was better to keep the place full instead of empty," she said with a chuckle. Some of the foster kids stayed at Schutzí house for a few weeks, others a few months, and several remained at the large house on Ramsey Street for several years.
"I had one young girl, who turned 18 when she was living with me. Social services said she was an adult and didnít qualify to live with me anymore. She was a senior in high school and wanted to finish school here. So she stayed. I just told social services she was part of my family."
While the Schutz house was bustling with foster children, foreign exchange students, and a growing number of grandchildren who enjoyed the diversity of Grandmaís house, there was still more room in Butchís house and mothering in her heart. She became a licensed day care provider, and usually had six to eight "little ones" under foot.
"I was licensed for 11 kids, but usually only had six to eight ëextras.í That was just about enough".....just about.
About the time it seemed as if the large house on Ramsey Street would burst at the seams, Schutzí brother Irvin suffered a stroke. He was in his late-40s at the time and moved into the local nursing home.
"He hated it in the nursing home, and I decided there was room at my house for him. So he came to live with us too." Irvin spent the next 19 years living with his sister before his health failed to a point where he was forced to return to a nursing home. He passed away three years ago.
"Irvin couldnít talk, because of the stroke. But he didnít need to. The kids did the talking for him. He loved all those kids and they loved him. I guess we had kind of a zoo at our house. In fact, thatís what we called it...The Zoo."
The house on Ramsey Street had a very large backyard, that included a sandbox, swingset, and a playhouse that Irvin built. The kids really enjoyed the playhouse, but thought it needed a deck on it. So Irvin built a deck on it. Kids throughout the neighborhood spent time playing in the Schutz backyard, which they referred to as "The Park."
Several years ago Schutz decided the large house was too much for her, so she sold it, and moved into Loretto Heritage Haven.
"The neighborhood on Ramsey Street just wasnít the same, according to my old neighbors," Schutz said laughing. "Over the years, there had been quite a bit of activity there and when I moved out, it got kind of quiet."
Although Schutz no longer has a large house in which to "mother" youngsters, she has continued to be a mentor for area youth. She volunteers with the Head Start program in Caledonia, and also has helped out with the hot lunch program at St. Maryís Parochial School.
"I guess I just couldnít get enough of kids," she admitted. "And I feel itís important to volunteer. Iíve never been bored a day in my life. Some people just sit around and are bored. Thereís so much volunteer work people can do...thereís so much we can do for others. So many people need help.
"If I could do it all over again, I would. I have had so much fun getting to know all those young people. There have been so many different personalities and different backgrounds. And it is so rewarding when I see those youngsters grown up now, with their own families and their own lives."
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com