Robert Frank Lutz

Robert Lutz built a good life – helping put up structures that have stood the test of time, raising a family, putting his faith into practice, cherishing every moment with his four grandchildren. He appreciated all of those blessings. He passed away on 12/15/2020, due to kidney failure and He was 77 years old.

Born in the New York City , he was a high school senior when the family moved to town of Culpepper, Va., for his dad’s job as a machine shop foreman. Mr. Lutz liked to say he went from a graduating class of 1,000 to 100. He looks back fondly on his youth, including his years as a Boy Scout, and earning the Eagle Scout award. His dad’s work in Culpepper for a company that built garbage trucks had a huge impact on his own life. Mr. Lutz earned degrees in building construction from Virginia Tech and the University of Florida, and he spent his career building a variety of fascinating facilities all over the world.

He served his country as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Vietnam in 1969, helping construct barracks 40 miles south of Saigon. He lived in Venezuela from 1975-79, working on an aluminum plant. He moved to Charlotte in 1980 for the construction of the IBM Plant. He also spent 18 meaningful years as a senior project manager for Mecklenburg County, building jails, the county courthouse and more.

Mr. Lutz – everyone called him Robert or Opa– retired in 2010, giving him more time to pursue other joys of life. He became active at Myers Park United Methodist Church, going on mission trips to Brazil and Costa Rica and a pilgrimage to Turkey and helping plan blood drives, and cooking meals at the Center of Hope. He filled his retirement years with gardening, golf and photography, but as is often the story, family moments provided the highlights: Traveling to Europe with his sons and granddaughters as well as spending precious time with his four grandchildren, taking them to art class, watching them play sports or simply going out for ice cream.

Mr. Lutz is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Bobby and Lynda of Charlottesville, Va., and their son, Ben; and by his younger son and his wife, Eugene and Jenny of Charlotte, and their three children, Hanna, Abby and Michal.

A memorial service celebrating his life will be at 11am on Saturday 12/19/2020 in Jubilee Hall at Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road in Charlotte, led by Rev. James Howell. Live streamed at Livestream.com/mpumc.

Burial will be in Charlottesville, Va.

Instead of flowers, a gift in Mr. Lutz’s honor can be made to The Bridget Bernadette Phillips Scholarship, University of Florida Foundation, P.O. Box 14425, Gainesville, FL 32604. Checks are to be made out to the University of Florida Foundation with the Bridget Phillips Scholarship Fund on the memo line. Give electronically at https://www.uff.ufl.edu/giving-opportunities/003477-bridget-bernadette-phillips-scholarship-fund/.

For Robert Lutz, what ultimately meant the most to him was pretty fundamental. His faith, his family and his professional integrity