Mr. Raymond J. Schaltenbrand Jr.Cullum: 25809 Class: 1965 Cadet Company: E1 Date of Birth: April 14, 1943 Date of Death: March 6, 2024 - View or Post a Eulogy Interred: Georgia National Cemetery, Canton, GA |
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Raymond John “Ray” Schaltenbrand Jr. of Marietta, GA went home to be with his Lord and Savior on March 6, 2024. The son of Raymond and Ginger Schaltenbrand, Ray was born on April 14, 1943 in Pennsylvania. His family moved to Florida when he was young; Ray attended Miami Jackson High School, where he excelled at swimming. This skill drew the attention of the Academy’s coaching staff, and he subsequently received a congressional appointment.
His talent in the pool, when combined with that of other classmates and cadets, resulted in an extraordinary four years of record-breaking. Ray and his teammates on the 1962 plebe team (NCAA rules at the time prohibited freshmen from varsity competition) broke 10 of the 16 Academy records. Ray set the 200 free record and was part of the 200 free relay record. Over the next three varsity seasons, they accumulated 11 All-American certificates and either broke or reset Academy records 19 times. Meanwhile, they led Army to a 36-4 dual meet record that included three wins against Navy by a combined score of 199-86 (dual meet points for both teams back then totaled 95 points).
During First Class summer, Ray was on the cadre for Beast Barracks. He showed up with a platoon of new cadets at the pool, where one of his classmates, who was not on the swim team, had to demonstrate the various strokes the plebes would eventually have to learn that year. It was to Ray’s credit that he never smirked or said anything later to his classmate about what must have been a laughable performance, given his All-American status.
Upon graduation, following Ranger and airborne training, Ray and his wife-to-be, Eleanor, eloped in November to the surprise of both families. Ray was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, the “Big Red One,” and served two tours: first in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967, and second in Indochina from 1971 to 1972. In between tours, Ray obtained his MBA at the University of Georgia.
Ray had an older sister and two younger brothers, Lee and Wayne. Wayne, a diver in the USMA Class of 1967, was killed in Vietnam in 1969. Lee noted: “I was there when Ray arrived (in the United States) with Wayne’s body; it was a sad time all around. Ray was haunted by Wayne’s death for a long time.”
After eight years of active service, he began his career in commercial real estate with Northwestern Mutual and Laing Properties, first in Michigan and later in Marietta, where he lived the rest of his life. He oversaw the development of many commercial shopping centers and mixed-use office developments. In the 1980s, he started TMB, his investment real estate business, where he would buy, sell, and rent homes, which he continued to operate throughout his life. He always loved a good real estate investment deal.
Ray was an active member of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, and he loved going on mission trips with his wife, Eleanor, to Africa, Australia, Bulgaria, China, Israel, Nicaragua, and many more. He enjoyed University of Georgia football, American war history, investing and following the stock market, and going to garage sales and estate sales, where Ray tried to find ball caps and button-up plaid shirts that still had dry-cleaning tags on them. If someone had a need, he always did whatever he could to help. Spending time with his children and nine grandchildren hiking and camping, traveling, coaching, and watching their many different sports and activities brought him great joy and many happy memories.
Ray is survived by his wife, the love of his life, Eleanor Schaltenbrand, and their children: Theresa Schaltenbrand Spivey (Brian), Matthew Schaltenbrand (Mandy), and Brian Schaltenbrand. He is also survived by his wonderful grandchildren: Brayden, James, Ryder, Blake, Sawyer, Jack, Mason, Hank, and Sam; his sidekick and favorite dog, Bandit; a brother, Lee Schaltenbrand; a sister, Janet Rose; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Ray’s life verse was Proverbs 3:5-6.
Upon learning of his passing, tributes from former ’65 teammates arrived. Jerry Merges and Ray had competed in high school swimming in south Florida at different schools. He remembers Ray as a fierce competitor and great teammate, with whom he shared many years of friendly rivalry. They closed out their high school careers in the state championship 100-yard free style, finishing first (Ray) and second (Jerry). The next time they saw each other was in the pool at the Academy. Steve Bliss also regarded “Schaltz” a good friend, great teammate, and leader and will really miss him. Steve notes: “Of all his achievements, Ray’s greatest was finding and marrying his wonderful wife, Eleanor. She is the definition of a ‘keeper.’”
From Buck Hiles, the plebe swim coach: “I knew both Ray and Wayne…we talked often about the ‘old days’ of swimming in Florida. Both were fine men. R.I.P.”
John Madia, a classmate but not a swimmer, recalls an incident standing next to Ray plebe year at an inspection formation being conducted by a First Classman. Since Ray’s name could barely fit on a standard Army name tag, the firstie stood in front of Ray and asked him his name. Ray replied: “Sir, my name is Cadet Schaltenbrand.” The firstie moved in front of John and said: “That’s OK; we’ll just call him ‘Alphabet Man.’” They did not receive demerits for laughing in ranks.
Rest in peace, Alphabet Man.— Jack Lyons and Classmates
