Richard Schatz

Pennsylvania lost its most prestigious “Schatz & Sons” painter the evening of September 21st, 2021. Richard “Rich” Dennis Schatz lived in Morrisville, Pennsylvania and was 71 years old when he left this world surrounded by loved ones.

Rich was born on January 8th, 1950, to his parents Isidore “Irving” Schatz and Gertrude Schatz (Balitz). He took over the family business “Schatz & Sons” from his father many years ago, but Rich was more than just a proficient painter who was locally known for beautifying people’s homes. He was a loving father to his two grown children Mel and Dave and a devoted husband of over 40 years to his late wife, R. Elizabeth “Liz” Schatz (White), who sadly passed away on April 21st, 2020. 

Rich had a plethora of hobbies and accomplishments. He graduated from Pennsbury High School in 1968, held electrician, refrigeration, and air conditioning certifications from Bucks County Technical School, and was previously a part of the Historic Preservation Program at Bucks County Community College where he completed various art and woodworking classes. Other certifications he held include: Relaxology, psychic development, memory and concentration, and hypnotism. In addition to being a former hypnotist trainer alongside Liz, both of them used to volunteer with children at the New Jersey Department of Health & Human Services. As an avid car and motorcycle enthusiast (which later morphed into a passion for riding e-bikes), Rich enjoyed belonging to the Bucks County Cruisers, attending car shows with his former 1969 Oldsmobile 442, and participating in St. Mary’s Cyclefest with his Harley Davidson motorcycle. One of Rich’s proudest accomplishments was being a Marine veteran — he loved recounting his days stationed in Hawaii.

Rich was a creator in every sense of the word. He was notorious for either building furniture from scratch or buying it from thrift stores or garage sales, then refinishing pieces and giving them away — his adult children can attest to this with the many gorgeous pieces that adorn their homes. Beyond being a craftsman who could design any kind of furniture imaginable, Rich created artistic wooden decorations and beautiful stained glass works of art. Most impressively, he could even paint walls with different shades of color to make them look like authentic wood! Not only did Rich transform many local homes, businesses, schools, and faith communities with his artistic painting skills — he also had the chance to participate in a local episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It’s no exaggeration to say that everything his magical fingers touched would turn to gold. 

Rich’s dry humor was unmatched. There were no shortage of bad dad jokes about eggs being cracked on heads or his fingers being cut off. When it comes to food, both him and Liz particularly enjoyed eating out at Originals Italian Pizzeria and Sports Pizza in Morrisville, PA. Rich’s biggest guilty pleasure was jolly ranchers.

Rich is survived by his daughter Melissa “Mel” Kulenski (Schatz), son David “Dave” Schatz, daughter-in-laws Arielle Kulenski and Brook Schatz, granddaughter Piper Schatz, brother Scott Schatz, sister-in-law Tyra Schatz, nieces Calea and Kendel Stiles-Schatz, brother Gary Schatz, sister-in-law Ellen Schatz, nephews Steven and Kevin Schatz, a bajillion cousins throughout New York, New Jersey, and Florida, as well as his two cats, Romeo and Girl. He’s also survived by a Phoenix tattoo on his daughter Mel’s arm, since Rich and her both got matching tattoos together in 2018. Lastly, Rich was well known and loved by many of the staff at Davita Dialysis Center in Newtown, PA and St. Mary’s Hospital in Langhorne, PA.

Friends and family are invited to attend his funeral service on Thursday, October 7th, 2021 at 8:00am at Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, 1534 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ 08618. Loved ones are also invited to attend his military honors burial service at 9:30am at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, 830 Highland Road, Newtown, PA 18940.

Rich will be laid to rest with his late wife, Elizabeth, both of whom are profoundly missed. In the words of Harley Davidson, “Live to ride, ride to live.”