Richard B. Lutterbein

Richard B. “Dick” Lutterbein, age 85, of Edgerton, Ohio, died at 8:55 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident earlier that day in DeKalb County, Indiana. A second-generation owner and operator of Lutterbein Lumber Company in Edgerton, Mr. Lutterbein currently served as CEO of Building Concepts, the parent company of Lutterbein Lumber Company, Cardinal Truss and Components, Lutterbein Properties, Cover-All Indiana, and Open Door and Window Company. He helped lead the company in building the American Homes in Japan project, which was a pioneering effort for American companies. He was a 1942 graduate of Edgerton High School, where he was a state champion in the high jump, and then graduated from Heidelberg College. He was also a veteran of World War II, serving in the United States Marines. Mr. Lutterbein was a member of John D. Smith Post #10 of the Edgerton American Legion and was able to participate in the Honor Flight Program visiting the World War II Memorial. Mr. Lutterbein was a member of the Edgerton Rotary Club, of which he was a past president, Paul Harris Fellow and past Rotarian of the Year. He held a realtor’s license in both Ohio and Indiana and was active in the Edgerton Historical Society. He was also instrumental in the efforts to open the Ohio Turnpike exit in northern Williams County. He was a former member of the Edgerton Masonic Lodge #357 F & AM and then the Bryan Masonic Lodge #215 F & AM and the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Valley of Toledo. Mr. Lutterbein was a member of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bryan and had served on the church council and was active in building the new church. Dick and his brother, John, were honored as “Citizens of the Year” in Edgerton for their longtime community service. He was a former member of Orchard Hills Country Club and was a longtime member of the Board of Directors of the 1st National Bank and also was an avid supporter of Edgerton athletics. Richard B. Lutterbein was born on September 6, 1924, in Edgerton, Ohio, the son of Benjamin H. and Alma M. (Geiger) Lutterbein. He married Marilyn B. Uhlmann on June 19, 1949, in West Caldwell, New Jersey, and she preceded him in death on November 24, 2000. He is survived by three daughters, Barbara Lutterbein, of Akron, Indiana, Diana (Dennis) Imbrock, of Grove City, Ohio, and Susan (David) Buck, of Centerville, Ohio; five grandchildren, Amelia (Jon) Shrum, Laura Imbrock, Matthew, Christopher and Daniel Buck; and an honorary daughter, Cheryl Harker Keis. Also surviving are one brother, Edward Lutterbein, of Webster, New York, one sister, Marion (Paul) Rohrbaugh, of West Lake, Ohio, a sister-in-law, Myrtle Lutterbein, of Edgerton, his special friend, Fran Schlachter, of Bryan, Ohio, and his special little buddy, Austin Huffman. Preceding him in death in addition to his wife was a brother, John, in 2008. Visitation for Richard B. “Dick” Lutterbein will be held on Saturday, December 19, 2009, from 2:00 to 8:00 P.M., followed by a Masonic service, in the Krill Funeral Home, Edgerton, and on Sunday, December 20, 2009, from 2:00 to 4:00 P.M. in the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bryan, Ohio. Services will be held at 4:00 P.M. on Sunday, December 20, 2009, in the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bryan with Reverend Mary Beth Smith-Webb officiating. Private interment will take place on Monday, December 21, 2009, in Maple Grove Cemetery, Edgerton, with grave side military rites conducted by John D. Smith Post #10 of the Edgerton American Legion. The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorials in the name of Richard B. “Dick” Lutterbein be given to the Edgerton Athletic Boosters or Trinity Lutheran Church in Bryan.