Stephen Lawrence Schlehuser

Stephen Schlehuser, enjoyed a life blessed by God starting with being born in Columbus, Indiana, the second of 5 children of Lester and Iolus Schlehuser.  It was a wonderful place to grow up, a town where the leading citizens invested in the infrastructure to make it ever more appealing.  Living on a farm outside of town also gave one the room to be active and daring.  Riding bicycles, horses, motorbikes, and then motorcycles were common activities.  His favorite sport was basketball.  Stephen avidly watched Indiana University's Hurryin' Hoosiers whenever they were televised.  Pick-up games were the best use of his spare time.  He played on the grade school team and enjoyed considerable success.

Stephen was encouraged to try engineering in college and went to Purdue University.  Engineering didn't suit him but a new undergraduate curriculum for Industrial Management was much to his liking.  He wanted to work as a problem solver in the business environment so Stephen aspired to be a management consultant.  First though, the national service obligation needed to be satisfied.  At that time, all young men expected to be drafted unless they enlisted.  Stephen chose to be proactive and enrolled in ROTC at Purdue.  While at Purdue, he dated a young lady, Nancy, whom he married September 2, 1962, prior to his senior year.  Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Ordinance Corps, Stephen went through basic training at Aberdeen Proving Grounds and was sent to Quartermaster School in Fort Lee, Virginia for MOS training.  It was here that he first saw segregated public restaurants, theaters, water fountains, etc. (in 1963).  Despite the constraints of segregation, he and his friends formed respectful, genuine relationships with those who were unfairly excluded.  After training, Stephen was stationed at Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pa. where he had a brief stint as company commander and a full time job as a financial analyst.

After the Army, Stephen joined the management consulting firm “Kurt Salmon Associates” where he worked for 35 years.  During his career he met many fine people and traveled much, including circumnavigating the globe once.  He spent the bulk of his career in New Jersey where he and Nancy  raised 3 accomplished daughters: Shari, Lisa, and Valerie.  Retirement was to a farmette in North Carolina raising a variety of animals and playing Geezer basketball.  Stephen attended and supported Main Street Methodist Church in Kernersville. 

Stephen is survived by two daughters: Shari Beams (JD) and Lisa Duffy (Mitchell), son-in-law Kevin O'Brien, 8 grandchildren; Sisters: Sara Mayfield (Jim) and Sue Chaffin, brother Charley Schlehuser, numerous nieces, nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews; and his beloved Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog, Zoey.  Stephen was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years Nancy Lawlis Schlehuser, daughter Valerie O'Brien, parents Lester and Iolus Schlehuser, and brother David Schlehuser.

In 2021, Stephen wrote a draft of his obituary and sent it to his daughters hoping to not have to use it anytime soon.  In it, Stephen had expressed a wish to thank all the many people who shaped his life and supported his endeavors for 8+ decades.  The family suggests charitable contributions in lieu of flowers and would like those so inclined to consider the American Kidney Fund or Main Street Methodist Church in Kernersville or their own favorite charity.

A Memorial Service will be held Tuesday, October 14th at 1:00PM at Main Street United Methodist Church, 306 S. Main Street, Kernersville, North Carolina.  Inurnment will follow in the church cemetery.