John Arthur Schilt

John Arthur Schilt 1943-2024 John Arthur Schilt, 80, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 26, 2024 in his hometown of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Born in Muskogee on March 3, 1943, John was the son of the late Catherine Theresa Niedermayer Schilt and Elijah William “Dutch” Schilt. John spent most of his childhood travelling around the country with his family while his father was working in construction. After settling back in Muskogee in 1953, John attended Alice Robertson Junior High School and graduated from Muskogee Central High School in 1961 where he was drum major for the All Boys Marching Band. He then went on to earn a degree in civil engineering from Oklahoma State University where he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. John met his wife Linda Solomon shortly after college when they were both living in the same apartment complex in Tulsa. They married in 1970 and had three daughters. He began his career at Corning Glass Works, Inc., where he worked for a number of years before venturing off to start his own business, Professional Packaging, and later bought Oklahoma Interpak, Inc. He spent the remainder of his career leading and expanding his business in Muskogee before his retirement. In addition to being a loving husband, father and grandfather, John enjoyed a lifelong passion for boating and travelling. He purchased his first sailboat while in college and dedicated his spare time to mastering the sport. He found great joy in sharing the experience with his family and close friends and spent much of his life traveling by boat in and out of the harbors of the U.S and the Caribbean. At his happiest when tinkering on a boat, John always challenged himself to find ways to make things better, faster and more efficient. His love of the sport combined with his engineering background propelled him to invent and patent the Breeze Booster™, the first self-supporting hatch ventilator for power boats and sailboats. After his boating days were over, he most recently pursued traveling in his RV with Linda while enjoying several cross-country trips to explore the interior of the country. John served on the Board of Directors for the Muskogee City-County Port Authority and was an active member of the Muskogee Exchange Club. John was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church. John is survived by his wife of 53 years, Linda Kay Schilt; his three daughters, Julie Elizabeth Elgin (Eric) of Muskogee; Lisa Alane Sherl (Jason) of Broken Arrow; and Amanda Schilt Pratt (Beau) of Richmond, VA; his sister, Carolyn Gayle Schilt Williamson (Riley) of Denver, CO; and his six grandchildren, Van Alan Elgin, Eric Ladd Elgin, Robert Harris “Hart” Pratt, Olivia Virginia Sherl, John Howard Pratt, and Manning Arthur “Mack” Sherl. The family requests memorials can be made in John’s name to the Muskogee Bridges Out of Poverty, 1503 W. Broadway, Muskogee, OK 74401. A celebration of John’s life will be at 2PM, Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2130 W Okmulgee St, Muskogee, OK 74401. Interment will follow at Greenhill Cemetery.

John Arthur Schilt

March 3, 1943 - February 26, 2024