Richard P. Lutz. Jr. - In Memoriam

[harrison987]

Richard P. Lutz Jr., who worked extensively volunteering with the Planes of Fame museum passed away yesterday (he used to frequent this forum as "vonlutz"). He was 79 years old.

As an avid Luftwaffe collector, he helped greatly with the original restoration and research of the Me109 G-10/U4 and Me262, both of which were the POF Museum in Chino (the Me262 went to Paul Allen quite a few years back).

As we both lived in CA, I had the ability to visit him on many occasions. He was an outstanding gentleman; always very kind; and keen to share knowledge.

He started suffering from Alzheimers a few years ago, so he and his family asked me to help find homes for his collection. Even at the age of 76, he was still sad to see it all go.

He was probably one of the first true collectors, starting in the 1960's, and had an amazing passion for WW2 Aircraft.

He will be missed.

Mike

[ArtieBob]

Mike,


Thank you for the message. I remember spending many hours with Richard when I lived in LA. Perhaps one of the funniest memories was helping him on the first (unsuccessful) attempts to make a new replacement canopy for the Me 262. A knowledgeable and sharing Luftwaffe researcher, who I will certainly miss.


ArtieBob

[Teresa Maria]

May he rest in peace.

[Steve Coates]

A real shame. My thoughts are with his family.

[John Beaman]

A super nice guy and a great researcher. We spent many letters and calls (pre-email) digging into the G-10 and other items. He was really helpful.

My condolences to his family.

[David E. Brown]

I am so sad to learn of Richard’s passing. We shared a keen interest in the Me 262 and corresponded since the mid1980s. He was an enthusiastic researcher and very helpful to assisting colleagues with their studies. My father (88) is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s so my heart and prayers go out to Rich’s family.

David

[judyc]

So sad to learn of Richard's passing. He and Jerry were fast friends and often shared photos and other Luftwaffe collectibles since about 1960s give or take. They are in heaven now, discussing Sturm aircraft, I'm sure. R.I.P. von Lutz. Our community will miss you.

[schwarze-man]

I am very sad to read of Richards passing. I had the great good fortune to meet Richard in the late 1980's after being introduced by my friend, the late Russ Snadden. I was able to spend a day at Chino helping Richard on the G-10. Richard was extremely helpful and generous to me all that day. In fact, the "helping" was really him, helping me understand many things.
So, Thank-You Richard, you helped me more than you might have known.
Condolences to all Richards family.

Chris Starr

[S Sheflin]

One of the worst aspects of aging is that you dare not wait too long to contact your friends.
Richard was a friend for forty-five-plus years, and was one of the nicest, most helpful people I ever knew.
Sadly I “thought” about calling him for the last few years, but somehow never found the time.
My late wife and I enjoyed Richard’s company and low-key character several time at our home. I also visited his desert home/Luftwaffe museum several times and was gobsmacked by his collections.
Richard was a gentleman in the true sense of the word. He will be missed.
Respectfully,
Steve Sheflin