Franklin Lowell Schulte

Franklin Lowell Schulte, who resided in Fallbrook from 1996 to 2004, died of cancer in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Feb. 26, 2011. He was 77.

Frank Schulte was born in Woods County, Ohio. The first member of his family to go to college, he earned a B.S. in electrical engineering and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He met and married his wife Elaine, another Purdue graduate, during their senior year.

Frank was a successful engineer, salesman, and corporate executive. His first job out of college was as a flight test engineer with Douglas Aircraft, trailing instruments out of the open doors of C-47s. Twenty-two years later, he co-founded Metrox Inc., which instrumented B-2 stealth bombers, offshore oilrigs, and even the Thunder Mountain Ride at Disneyland. In 1993, Frank sold Metrox to Varco International, where he worked for three years until retirement.

Upon retirement in 1996, Frank moved to Fallbrook, where he became an active member in the local Rotary Club and enjoyed growing citrus and tending to his fish in two ponds. In 2004, he moved to Tucson and from there to Scottsdale.

Frank Schulte was an active Christian, Rotarian, world traveler, and photographer. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and two grandchildren.