LaVonne Marie Wyffles Fritz-Lutz

Mass of Christian Burial for LaVonne Lutz, 85, of Marshall will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 6, at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church with visitation one hour prior at the church. Lunch and burial procession will follow to St. Mary’s Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Tracy. LaVonne passed peacefully on March 10, 2019, while holding the hand of her husband, Charles, at McLaughlin Hospice House in Marshall. LaVonne was the daughter of James and Nellie Marie (Hansen) Wyffels. She was born on the J.B. Wyffels farm south of Amiret on Lyon County Road 9. She attended the 1-room school that stood on the south edge of their farm. Moving with the family to Tracy in the early 1940s, she attended THS, graduating near the top of her class. Crowned Miss Tracy in 1950, she went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree at St. Catherine’s University and a Master’s degree in Dietetics at University of Iowa. While working as a dietician at Midway Hospital in St. Paul, she married Robert Fritz in 1960 and gave birth to two sons, James in 1961, and Thomas in 1963. For 20 years she raised her family in Minneapolis and worked for various state agencies as a dietician. In the 1980s, she started her own practice as a consulting dietician and worked to improve dietary standards for nursing homes around the state. In 1995, she reunited with high school and college sweetheart Charles Lutz. They were wed at St Charles Borromeo parish in Minneapolis. Moving to Marshall with Charles, she volunteered at the library and traveled the world to destinations as varied as the Netherlands, China, Hawaii, and New Zealand. After a fall in 2008 that broke bones in her back, she battled chronic pain and depression for the rest of her life. She was loved by family and friends and will be deeply missed. LaVonne is survived by her husband of 24 years, Charles Lutz of Marshall; son James and grandson Roman of Coos Bay, Oregon; and son Thomas and grandchildren Luke, Seth, Paul, and Olivia of Middleton, Maryland. Special Thanks to Gary and Patty Peterson of Tracy, Eve Wyffels of Marshall, Father Labat, Prairie Home Hospice in-home care and McLaughlin Hospice House, and Touching Hearts in-home care.