Obituary of John S. Lotz

The Great John S. Lotz pronounced his final simile on Thursday, June 6, just before eight in the morning. While the medical professionals predicted a much earlier departure, friends and family surmise that he waited until the 75th anniversary of D-Day in order to make a more historic departure. The first surviving child of John Aloysius Lotz and Helen Marie DeRoche of Bel-Nor (St. Louis), Missouri, the boy with the shoe button eyes was delivered at home, by his own father, on July 7, 1933. At age 6, upon the untimely death of his dad, John was declared the de facto Man of the House, and charged with the well-being of his mother, late brother Carl (’03), and assorted greats- and grands- that would all live upstairs until they, too, met their maker. As a child, John enjoyed making model airplanes, playing games with the children in his neighborhood – many of whom would remain close friends throughout their lives, reading books, and anything to do with baseball. In later years, even when his memory was fading and he couldn’t remember what he’d had for breakfast, he could flawlessly recite the opening line-up of the 1947 STL Cardinals. He was remarkably intelligent and especially good at remembering facts about history. But, to his mother the teacher’s great dismay, each time his teachers wrote on his report card, “John could do so much better,” he would reply, “But Mom, if I can get Bs without even trying, why should I waste my time studying?!”  This attitude carried him through Normandy High School and into the University of Missouri. Although, he would admit, “If I hadn’t sat behind Vivian Banta, I never would have passed Algebra.” It was during those well-spent hours NOT studying that John began his lifelong passion for golf (and for women.) He and his buddies would caddy for tips, then spend them on greens fees as they honed their golfing skills. After John retired from his sales career, he returned to his humble beginnings on the fairways and worked as a starter at Disney’s Celebration golf course. Interesting fact: John kept the scorecard from nearly every course he played throughout his lifetime. That’s a lot of scorecards! John joined Kappa Sigma fraternity at Mizzou and completed all of his required courses by the end of his third year. He planned to use all of his electives to get a head start on attaining his law degree. The US Army had other plans. He served two years as a medic, met some of his best lifelong friends, and loved telling stories about the privileges he earned by being a lifeguard at the officers’ club pool. Upon returning to civilian life, John found that all of his friends were married and starting careers. Not to be outdone, he married (and divorced), and embarked upon a series of jobs that would lead him to a lucrative career in sales, advertising and broadcasting (think: “Mad Men, the Original”) In 1962, he married “the hottest ticket in town,” the late Barbara Ann Pierce (‘04) but not before making one monumental oat-sowing trek around Europe (while posing as a correspondent for LIFE magazine!) The couple had two beautiful daughters: Kelye Louise Lotz and Hollis DeRoche Lotz, who, despite being dragged all over the country as children, remain loyal members of the John S. Lotz Fan Club. They will remember him whenever they smell a cigar, drink a martini, hear a WWII reference, listen to jazz, sing a drinking song, watch Don Draper or see anyone with a comb-over. He is also survived by four somewhat amazing grandchildren: Jacob Tyler Zehnder (29), Elysse Renee Andrews (24), Amelia Jeanne Zehnder (20), and Samuel Sterling Andrews (19). His family and friends find solace in the assurance that if Heaven has easy chairs, John is sitting in one now, wearing his boxer shorts, cigar, and cocktail in hand, shooting the breeze with the prettiest angel in the neighborhood for eternity. As an honor to John’s continued pride at being named soldier of the month (out of 1700 he would ask us to remind you), a committal service with interment to follow will be held on July 11, 2019, at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, Mims, Fl. In addition, family and friends will toast to John’s life with a formal celebration at 4pm on August 24th at the Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis, MO. The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to an organization that was dear to him: Tee-Lo Golf, 4717 S. Conway Road, Orlando, FL 32862; or to a charity of choice.