MULTI-TIME BAKING CHAMP TAKES 10 COUNT!
Auntie Julie & Floppy (November 2013)
San Francisco, CA– At the end of every Elvis Presley concert, the announcement would be, “Elvis has left the building” and there would be no encore. That being said, the woman that sung Happy Birthday to me but all of two years of my life, Julie Lutz, my aunt and second mother, “left the building of life” this morning.
PARKINSON’S SCORES KO IN LIKE 3 MONTHS!
Two weeks ago she was in church smiling with her three sons, John, Jim and Larry Lutz and appeared to be making a mild comeback. But days later, the Parkinson’s Disease had taken over as things began to shut down. I talked to her Tuesday briefly, saw my dearest aunt last night for the very last time, something albeit quite obvious, I did not want to acknowledge.
PRODUCT OF FRISCO’S BERNAL HEIGHTS
Born in 1935 on Anderson St. in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights, my aunt was a difficult birth and there were residual effects from the trying labor of grandma Ragna Nyreneng that made life even more challenging for the proud Libra. A product of the old Paul Revere elementary school, this before graduating from Balboa High School in 1954. A member of the Balboa Alumni for almost 60 years, my aunt enjoyed the Balboa high events hosted by fellow alumni Emily Powell.
MET MY UNCLE & HAD “MY THREE SONS”
Meeting my uncle Alfred Lutz, a Navy man at the time, they were married and had John February 9, 1960. Jim came one year later to the day, February 9, 1961, and Larry took his first breath in January 1964. These three were my aunt’s “pride & joy” for there was nothing more important to her than family, of which I was lucky to be part of.
OTHER “FAMILY” MEMBER PICKING UP TITLES!
While I was winning Golden Glove championships, auntie Julie was knocking them out at baking competitions. Be it the Tanforan Mall competition or her garnering gold at the San Mateo County Fair, my aunt’s baking “championships” were the stuff of local fanfare and was even acknowledged and honored by US Congresswoman Jackie Speier.
SERVICES ARE PENDING
My cousin’s are working on the funeral arrangements as I write. In closing, this was one of the roughest weeks of my life and that of family members as well. Now we will all try and go forward as the last member of a generation born before WWII has, “Left the Building.” A wonderful woman who brought me back from the brink, this when I was very sick, my aunt was instrumental in getting me back on my feet. To say Julie Lutz will be missed is indeed the greatest understatement of 2013.
Pedro Fernandez