|
PORTSMOUTH - Mark Steven Lutz, 56, formerly of Norfolk, died Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, in an Altamonte Springs, Fla., hospital. Mark passed away from cancer. A native of Newport News, he was the son of Graham L. Lutz of Altamonte Springs. He is also survived by a sister, Linda DeBettencourt and three nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 8, in Sturtevant Funeral Home, Portsmouth Blvd. Chapel, by the Rev. Cliff Whitlock. Burial will be in Olive Branch Cemetery.
|
John Craft
Mark and I shared many interests, ambitions and pursuits back in the day. And we worked together for a time at McDonalds in Fern Park. Some in our number might recall Mark had one of the coolest cars in our H.S. class. It was a then new 1970, metallic green, Plymouth, Road Runner. It had a reflectorized “dust trail” stripe down the side (that flashed golden at night under head lights), a pistol grip four speed and a 383 4V V-8 under the hood. Not all that fast by modern standards, but that car was smokin’ hot for this 18 year old back in 1971. I well and fondly recall riding around in Mark's Road Runner as a lad…and all of the twenty-five cents per gallon Shamrock gas we burned up in those destinationless, nocturnal jaunts. I lost track of Mark when he went off to UF. I know he worked with Ronnie Hill (with whom Mark and I had both worked in Fern Park…another mystery alum) at the McDonalds in G’Ville for a while. Not sure if he graduated or not. Mark married a Lyman class of ’72 or ’73 alumna named Suzanne Goodwin (that we both had dated. HA! The rivalry!..he won/I lost &%#!@. That happened on a number of occasions, more’s the pity!). But that was a short union and it produced no children. I think it was his only marriage. He worked in the Altamonte Mall (Sears?)for a while. I ran in to him there once or twice in the 80s. After that, I didn’t see Mark for years until I stumbled into him at Jury Selection in Seminole County just about the time of our last reunion. He wound up on another venire, so I didn’t get to ask him any pointed historical questions while picking my jury that day. Dang. That could have been fun. I seem to think his working line then was in some type of sales. I understand he was an avid fisherman. And I've heard from Tedd Liggett that Mark spent lots of time with Jeff Malm out on the water. Mark was a good guy and funny as all get out. I was saddened to hear of his death. I spoke with him by phone less than a week before he died. I gathered that he’d been sent home from the hospital with a very negative prognosis. It was an emotional phone call but we still had some laughs about our past common…er… “pursuits”. I sent Mark some car stuff via computer and had planned to call him back in a week or so…but he was gone before we could ever re-connect. That was a shock. I spoke with Mark’s Dad following his death (Mark was living with his Dad at the end) and he was devastated. I tried to tell him what a fine son he had raised, but I am afraid I was unable to do much to assuage his grief. Words truly fail at times like that. Cancer took Mark way too soon, that’s for sure.
John Craft
Martin Tyrie
I HAD A FRIEND IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NAMED JOHN CURREN,LIVED OVER BY THE LINE WITH WINTER PARK.AND HE LEFT SCHOOL ON ABOUT 5TH GRADE, SO I WAS SO GLAD TO SEE HIM BACK IN J R HIGH AT SOUTH SEMINOLELOOKED THE SAME, BUT IT ACTUALLY WAS LUTZ WE BECAME GOOD FRIENDSM HE WAS INTELLECTUALLY FAR SUPERIOR TO WE WHO HAD A SEMINOLE CO EDUCATION,WHICH ACTUALLY WASNT TOO BA D WUZ ITT???