Tributes

Thomas Franklin Lutz joined his Lord on August 19, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Lutz is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Trudy Lutz; son, Larry Lutz (Natalie); daughters, Christine Thomas (Blake) and Stephanie Smith (Harlan); grandchildren, Kathleen Allen, Nicole Chavez (Marcus), Shawn Smith, Jason Tyler Rose, Lauren Thomas, Christopher Thomas, Allison Lutz, and Cooper Lutz, and great granddaughter, Brighton Chavez. He is additionally survived by his sisters Frances Neugebauer, Geraldine Gueldner (John), Virginia Shannon, and sister-in-law Phyllis Lutz, plus numerous nieces and nephews. Thomas is preceded in death by siblings Clayton Lutz, Rita Mecke (Robert), Marjorie Eckert (Charles), Milton Lutz (Beatrice), Barbara Gittinger (Ted) and brother-in-law Arthur Neugebauer. Thomas was born on January 2, 1937 to Milton Emerick Lutz and Josephine Mary Rihn Lutz, the sixth of nine children. He attended St. Ann Catholic School and Central Catholic High School where he enjoyed playing baseball and basketball. He continued to be a sports fan his whole life and played softball into his 40s. After graduation, Tom enlisted in the US Navy where he served our country for two years. Following his time in the military, Tom attended college and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Tom remained a lifelong Longhorn fan. Hook’em! Following graduation, Tom put his business degree to work for a local mortgage company in the field of lending and property management where he worked for many years. During this time, Tom was lucky enough to have been invited to a church dance by his sister, where he met his bride, Trudy. He knew she was the one and proposed to her on the third date! Tom and Trudy were blessed to have celebrated their diamond anniversary this year with 60 years! In addition to being a skilled businessman, Tom was also a gifted carpenter and craftsman. There really wasn't much he couldn’t fix! In 1978, Tom struck out on his own and established Lutz Construction Company. Here, he was able to turn his passion of working with his hands into a more personally satisfying career. Tom had a deep love of family and friends and enjoyed connecting with them at church festivals, family reunions and the American Legion. It is said that he was often the last one to leave, always having one more story to share before saying goodbye! Tom was also an avid fan of the outdoors, particularly hunting and fishing. He looked forward to spending time at deer camp with lifelong friends where there were always plenty of tales of the big one that got away. Tom enjoyed eating what he hunted and was famously skilled at making deer sausage. Through the years he passed this skill down to his kids and grandkids, making it a family tradition. The grandkids knew they were in for a real treat when Grandpa Tom took out his pocket knife and started slicing up his dried deer sausage! Tom enjoyed a full life of 88 years, and though he will surely be missed, his legacy lives on in the hearts of his family and friends. Services will be held at St Luke Catholic Church on September 9 with a Rosary at 9:30 followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00. For personal acknowledgement, please sign the online guestbook at www.missionparks.com in the Tributes section. MISSION PARK FUNERAL CHAPELS NORTH 3401 CHERRY RIDGE DR. SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78230 (210) 349-1414

Tributes

Thomas Franklin Lutz

January 2, 1937 - August 19, 2025