Schon retires from Sturm Welding
It's hard to decide to step away.
That's what Harold Schon, a 74-year-old Pilot Point man, experienced as he made the decision to retire from his 60-year career at Sturm Welding on Wednesday, only putting down his tools once he bent a final set of pipe.
'I enjoyed my work,' he said. 'It was something different every day. I worked here while I was still in school, and I wanted to come work full-time when I got out, but he didn't need any full-time help.'
Harold would keep working if he felt like he could, but his health is requiring him to make the difficult decision to leave.
'He's been doing this since he was 13, and as you can tell, welding is a rough, rough occupation,' said his wife, Sandra Schon, who is hoping to keep him active and to work on making memories together. '… It'll be good to have him home and hopefully get him feeling better.'
She added that 'he'll probably do some welding when he's at home.'
It was March of 1972 that he came on full-time, and he's 'been here ever since,' Harold said, with his final 12 years being part-time again.
When Harold started at Sturm as a young teenager, he was working part-time alongside his father, Louis Schon.
The two worked together for more than 20
years.
When asked what his favorite project was, his response was, 'I've done so many of them, I can't tell you.'
Harold actually predates Dale and Shawn Dollar, the owners of Sturm Welding, at the shop.
'I wouldn't have been able to buy the company without Harold's experience and help,' he said.
Over time, Harold and the Dollars have become like family.
'He is probably the most talented man I know,' Shawn said.
Dale upped that, saying 'he is the most talented man I have ever met.'
'You can take a picture of a gate with circles and scrolls, and he'll figure out—' Dale said. 'You just tell him how long it is and how tall it is, and he'll figure out what size the parts are, and when he builds the gate, it will look just like the picture you brought in.'
To his final day, Harold poured himself into every piece.
Harold said he enjoyed working alongside the Dollars and teaching Dale the ropes before they bought the business in 1998.
'I enjoyed working with him,' he said. 'I didn't have any problems out of him.'
He also worked for many decades alongside Joe Alterbaumer, who was also a crucial asset to the Dollars as they started and who like Harold worked until his health made the decision for him.
'When we bought it, we bought it with the employees, and we couldn't have done it without them,' Shawn said. 'They taught us how to do it, and he was one of them. We've been blessed for all these years with Harold.'
They mentored several of their coworkers over the years.
'I've made a lot of friends through here, too, and been to a lot of places and changes,' Harold said.
Harold's children— Jenny Hicks, Jeff Schon and Kelli Garza—came to the shop to celebrate the dedication of their father and his decision to retire.
Hicks spoke with love and appreciation for the way that customers would ask for her dad to work on their pieces, adding that such requests say a lot about his reputation and work ethic.
'That tells you how respected he is in the community,' she said. '… He's dedicated.'
Jeff was reminiscing about how much Sturm Welding has been a part of his family's life.
'I'm happy for him,' Jeff said. 'It's just crazy to see him and know that it's that long.'
He also recalled coming to see his dad and grandpa at work.
'They lived down on Jefferson Street, and I remember walking back and forth with Grandpa, and then I spent a lot of time up here when I was a kid,' Jeff said. '… Grandpa always had to wait on me because he walked 300 miles an hour.'
Harold and Sandra's youngest, Garza, spoke with admiration, too, for her dad.
'It means a lot that he's retiring from here, from a career that he's had for so long and with people that he loves and that love him,' she said.
She also described him as 'a huge example.'
'He always works hard; he's always working on something,' Garza said. 'He's very dedicated to his work and his family.'
