Larry E. Lutz

Larry Lutz was born on August 8, 1944.  He died April 3, 2021 at the age of 76. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Emerson Lutz and Phyllis Ann Jung. A brother Terry Lutz came along in 1949 who will also greet him in heaven.  Larry grew up in Miamisburg, then moved to Centerville, and ended up in Vandalia by the eighth grade. Larry loved sports and was a prolific athlete. In High School, Larry lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and golf.  His favorite sport by far was football. He was a star half back/running back. During Larry's high school senior year, he received many special honors in football: He was Most Valuable Player for a 10-0 Championship Team.  He was the Team captain; All-Ohio Honorable Mention; All Southwestern Buckeye League; Dayton Daily News All-Area Team; Dayton Daily News Player of the Year; and he led the SWBL and the Dayton area in Scoring - 22 Touchdowns for 142 points and ran for 1100 yards on 86 carries to average an unimaginable 13 yards per carry.

Larry had many full time scholarship offers to different colleges and universities, and he chose to play at Miami University.  The coach, John Pont, was small of stature like Larry.  Pont wanted Larry on his team for his speed, and he started and played his freshman and sophomore years there. Following a coaching change, Larry decided to leave Miami and worked for two years at NCR, and then completed his schooling at Wilmington College paying his own tuition.  He planned to play there, but his father died and then he met the love of his life, Marcia Lee Heidkamp.  The two worked as playground leaders for Montgomery County at different playgrounds during their college summers. Larry's whole goal was to teach and coach.

Larry and Marcia married on August 3, 1968 and shared 52 love-filled years together.  They had two sons: Jeffrey Paul Lutz in 1971, and Scott Andrew Lutz in 1974.  Both children played sports, and Larry and Marcia were happy to be cheering them on from the sidelines.  In high school, Jeff played and lettered in football and tennis. Scott was all soccer from the start and lettered and started on the Varsity team. Larry and Marcia shared many things in common. They were both teachers and both very involved with sports. They loved God, family, friends, and their community.  They were able to get closer to Jesus when they joined Fairhaven Missionary Alliance Church in Centerville where they have been active members and participated in numerous Bible studies.

Larry started his teaching career at Dixie-New Lebanon and stayed there for 10 years. He taught Health and Physical Education. His last six years there, he was the head football coach, but he also coached many other athletic programs for them. He returned home to teach in Vandalia's school system at Smith Middle School and Vandalia Butler High School. He actively coached football for over 20 years and, thereafter, volunteered to assist other programs in his retirement.

From age 40 on, Larry suffered many health problems.  He took a full disability retirement after 28 years of teaching.  Since retirement, Marcia and Larry have done a lot of travelling.  Their son Jeffrey (wife, Amber) is an attorney in St. Simons Island, Georgia. They spent as much time as they could visiting their grandchildren there, Cooper and Carson. They delighted being with their son Scott, Wendy, and Seth. Scott was the captain of the Butler Township Fire Department. Family meant the world to Larry and Marcia.

Together, Larry and Marcia have been west to see the National Parks; they have been east to New England; and they have taken 23 cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska, and the Panama Canal. They have stayed in Aruba twice and vacationed every year at Siesta Key, Florida.