Arnold V. STULTZ

STULTZ, VILLARREAL, GREENE, COLLINS, FLAHERTY

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/5/2008 at 15:50:18

Arnold V. Stultz, 87, a retired auditor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and one of the last of the crew members to have served aboard the USS Auk during World War II, died June 2 of a stroke at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home in Charlotte Hall. He was a former College Park resident.

Mr. Stultz was a radioman for three years on the Auk. On D-Day, the minesweeper went in on the first wave at Normandy.

"I first realized it was in a shooting area when I saw all of those GIs being shot up," he told the Maryland Independent in 2001. "When I looked up on the horizon, all you could see was ships. All kinds of ships. You couldn't even see the end of the horizon. You couldn't see over the ships. There was a tremendous armada. You know, I'm a brave guy, but I was scared."

Mr. Stultz was born in Eagle Grove, Iowa, and grew up in Yorkville, Ohio. After his discharge from the Navy, he attended the University of Pennsylvania and George Washington University before receiving his undergraduate degree in accounting from American University in the 1950s. He had joined the Agriculture Department shortly after receiving his discharge from the Navy. He retired as a supervisory auditor in 1984.

He was an active member of the American Legion for more than 50 years and a member of the Forty and Eight, an American Legion honor society formed after World War I. He also was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Elks and Moose and volunteered with the Prince George's County food distribution program.

His marriage to Martha Stultz ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 35 years, Mary Ruth Stultz of Silver Spring; four stepchildren from his second marriage, Rita Villarreal of Tarpon Springs, Fla., Sonia Greene of Odenton, Susy Flaherty of Lothian and Bill Collins of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; three brothers, Frank Stultz of New Carrollton, Ralph Stultz of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Jerry Stultz of Riverdale; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Copyright
The Washington Post, DC
June 9, 2006