Obituary for Herman D. Lautzenheiser
Herman Dwight Lautzenheiser, 93, of East Union Township, died Monday August 4, 2014 in hospice at Wooster Community Hospital. He had struggled with declining health over a period of years, staying active as long as possible. Funeral services will be held Friday, August 08, 2014, 11:00 AM at the East Union Lutheran, 7063 East Lincolnway. Pastor Rob Moskowitz will be officiating. Burial will be at the East Union Cemetery following services at the church. Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 7, 2014, 6-8 pm at theGresser Funeral home in Orrville. . The family suggests that friends may make a donation to cardiac or orthopedic departments at Cleveland Clinic or to the Stark Wilderness Center in his memory. Herman was born in Canton, Ohio on February 27, 1921 to John J. and Martha (Walter) Lautzenheiser. He grew up in Tuscarawas County on a farm outside Dundee, attended Reese School (Mt. Pleasant) as a young boy, followed by high school in Dundee. The family farm was lost to Beach City Dam construction in the early 30s and they resettled in Wayne County on an historic dairy farm outside Dalton, where Herman finished high school. In 1936 he committed himself to living Scripturally based principles of pacifism; he joined like-minded conscientious objectors drafted during WWII in Civilian Public Service (CPS). He served in CPS from May 1943 through June 1946, first at Camp 45 Luray, Virginia and later at Camp 117 in Exeter State School at Lafayette, Rhode Island. His alternative service included time as a laborer on the Blue Ridge Parkway and as a boiler fireman at Exeter School. In 1947 he married Dorothy Marie Krick of East Union; they worked at Exeter School for a year before settling in Wayne County. He worked for more than 40 years as a stationary engineer in the coal fired power plant at Apple Creek Developmental Center where he also was active in the AFSCME/OCSEA employee union. Herman loved draft horses and mules as well as old iron: steam shovels, traction engines, antique tractors and farm equipment, but he was most fond of his Indian motorcycles. He was part of a local threshing crew for many years and a member of the Yesteryear Machinery Club. He was a devoted member of the East Union Lutheran Church; a volunteer builder at Camp Mowana in Richland County; loved welding and brazing; cut firewood; was a long time member of the East Union Cemetery Board, and attended CPS reunions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia when he was able. Surviving are his children Mary (Jerry Rockwell), Frederick of Cleveland, Elizabeth Rayner, Timothy, and Peter; his brother Don Lautzenheiser of Orrville, ten first cousins, and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Preceding Herman in death are his wife Dorothy (2010), his son David (2005), and his brother Warren (2012).
Service:
Friday August 8, 2014 11:00 AM
East Union Lutheran Church East Lincolnway
Visitation:
Thursday August 7, 2014 6 - 8 PM
Gresser Funeral Home Orrville, OH
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Service:
Friday August 8, 2014 11:00 AM
East Union Lutheran Church East Lincolnway
Visitation:
Thursday August 7, 2014 6 - 8 PM
Gresser Funeral Home Orrville, OH
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