Rick Schultz was a lot of things running through his mind Thursday as he tried to summon the words he would say when he paid respects to Chicago firefighter Michael Altman’s family.
He and his wife, Mary Lynn Schultz, knew Altman’s wife’s family through their son.
“It’s beyond words,” Rick Schultz, 70, said of Altman’s death last week after battling a fire in Rogers Park.
“Treasure each moment because my grandfather used to say, ‘You never know how a day’s going to end,’” Rick Schultz said.
“Take the moments of life very seriously because family means a lot, and we know this family ,” said Mary Lynn Schultz, 71. “That’s where it is all most important. When you have family and close relationships like that, you’re rich in life.”
Visitation for Altman, 32, was Thursday at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western Ave. Altman’s funeral had been planned for Friday, but was postponed after his wife went into labor on Thursday. She gave birth to a girl, named Evelyn, WGN-9 reported.
Red ribbons adorned almost all the trees, street signs, light poles and fencing around the church in Ashburn. A large American flag was strung between the aerial ladders of two firetrucks parked along Western Avenue.
Chicago Firefighters make their way to their vehicles after paying their respects during the public visitation for Chicago Firefighter/EMT Michael Altman at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel located at 7740 S. Western Ave. on Thursday. Behind them is a flag that was strung from the aerial ladders of two firetrucks parked along Western Avenue.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Altman was among the firefighters who responded around 11:20 a.m. March 16 to a fire behind a four-story building in the 1700 block of West North Shore Avenue, Deputy District Fire Chief Kelly Burns told reporters at the scene.
When the floor collapsed, Altman fell from the first floor into the basement, suffering burns to 90% of his body, officials said. He was pronounced dead t
