Russell T. Shoultz

Russell Trice “Rusty” Shoultz, age 52, passed away on May 1, 2026.

Rusty was born on August 14, 1973, in Gulfport, Mississippi to Linda A. Shoultz and Lonnie T. Shoultz. He grew up on the “Coast” and showed a passion for firefighting early in his life. He began as a volunteer fireman before he could drive and his mother would drive him to fires, even in the middle of the night. He was allowed to be emancipated by his mother at the age of 14 to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). After graduation from Coast Episcopal High School, he began his career as a paid fireman and thus began a career that is hard to put into words.

During Rusty’s early years in the fire department he discovered his other passion, law enforcement. He would interchangeably work in both public services throughout his career, in various capacities from firefighter to Chief and all positions in between to patrolman to SWAT Medic. In the last two weeks, Rusty had attended and passed the Michigan Law Enforcement Certification training and was a licensed law enforcement officer in Michigan. In addition, he had recently completed all requirements to receive his Executive Fire Officer designation from the National Fire Academy. Rusty was meticulous in training and being prepared for any situation that arose.

During his early career, he also began attending college and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Nursing Degree. He would later go on to become a Nurse Practitioner working in various emergency rooms in rural hospitals across Mississippi.

In Rusty’s free time he also served as both a flight medic and eventually flight nurse with Life Flight. He was ultimately instrumental in securing the Ochsner Rescue 5 helicopter base in Gulfport, MS.

He came from a military family and had a call to serve his country. He served in the reserves for more than 10 years, first in the Coast Guard’s Port Security Unit and finally as a flight nurse in the Air Force, evacuating some of the most critically injured personnel out of Afghanistan. Although Rusty was deployed three times to the middle east, he never stopped learning and growing in his chosen career because it was never a career to him but his life’s passion.

He retired from fire service in Mississippi as Deputy Chief of Harrison County Fire Rescue after 30 years, but he was not done. He went to Louisiana and began at the State Fire Marshall’s Office rising rapidly to Deputy Chief before leaving to lead and develop the newly formed Special Operations program for St. George Fire Department. His “in the trenches’ servant leadership approach encouraged all around him to set the bar higher for themselves.

He accepted a job as the Fire Chief of Walker Fire Department in Walker, Michigan in the summer of 2025. He has transformed the entire fire department in his short 10 months on the job. He was very happy in Michigan and proud of what his team was evolving into with their many successes.

Rusty was larger than life for all of us who knew him. He served in multiple agencies, achieved more certifications than can be listed and helped more people, both citizens and colleagues, than can be recounted. The stories that have been shared since his sudden death show the depths of his generosity and character.

Rusty was preceded in death by his maternal Grandparents Col. Russell A. (Ret) and Annie L. “Bennie” Dailey and his adoring mother Linda Ann (Dailey) Shoultz. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife Rachel Milner Shoultz of Walker, MI, his two stepdaughters Millie Taylor (Logan) Burchfield of Jackson, MS and Mary Jane Taylor of Starkville, MS and his only little sister K. Brooke Shoultz of Biloxi, MS.

Rusty achieved more in his short 52-year life than the rest of us do in a much longer, full lifetime, maybe two lifetimes. He spent almost 40 years continuously honing his craft and making himself and those around him better! He dedicated his entire life to serving multiple communities and mentoring countless other public servants. Rusty always believed that you should be better, do better, and always pay it forward. This is a challenge for everyone that knew and loved him to continue that legacy.

There will be a funeral service in Walker, MI at Remembrance Church with visitation at 11:00 AM and the funeral service following at 12:00 PM on Saturday, May 9, 2026. There will be an additional Funeral Mass at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Long Beach, MS on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. The visitation will begin at 10:00 AM with a Funeral Mass at 11:00 AM. Following the conclusion of the Funeral Mass there will be a procession down Highway 90 to the reception.

Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Russell T. Shoultz.