Tomoko Lutz's Obituary
WARRENSBURG – Tomoko Higa Lutz, of Warrensburg, passed away Saturday, November 7, 2015, at Decatur Memorial Hospital.
Tomoko was born April 7, 1950, in Okinawa , Japan, the daughter of Nobu and Teisyou Higa. After high school, she attended school for accounting and flower arrangement. She was an accountant for the Takakura Company in Naha, Okinawa. One day in 1973 she went to a bar to collect the account and her life changed forever when the owner introduced her to a young Marine Lieutenant. They dated for the next seven months, and then December 25, 1975, she came to the USA. She married that former lieutenant, Ralph J. (Jerry) Lutz, Jr., on January 17, 1976. Tomoko worked as a playground and lunchroom supervisor for many years at the Warrensburg-Latham Elementary School. She also attended and often worked at Boy Scout summer camps with her husband for 40 summers. Known as the “Origami Lady” she taught many thousands the joys of making boxes, birds, and other items from a simple piece of paper. “Paper makes people happy!” she would say. Her egg rolls and fried rice were legendary, and she was always laughing. Tomoko never became a US citizen, and loved her Okinawan origins, but she also dearly loved the USA, her adopted homeland for nearly 40 years.
Memorials may be made to the Owasippe Staff Association, P O Box 7079, Westchester, IL 60154, or to your local Boy Scout unit or council.
Tomoko leaves behind her husband Ralph Jerry Lutz of Warrensburg: daughter Susan (Isaac) Thotz of Los Angeles, CA; stepson John (Melissa) Lutz of Rolling Meadows, IL; grandchildren Nitsa, Cyric, and David; three brothers and three sisters living in Okinawa and Japan; many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles; mother-in-law Fran Lutz.
The family will host an informal open house celebration of Tomoko’s life Thursday, November 12, 2015, from 3:00 – 7:00 pm, in the Warrensburg Community Building, 265 S. Main, Warrensburg, IL. Children are welcome.
Burial will be in her husband’s plot at the Camp Butler National Cemetery at a later date. No funeral or visitation. Another celebration of her life will be held next summer at Owasippe Scout Reservation, Twin Lake, MI, a beautiful spot where she spent 33 summers.
The family of Tomoko Higa Lutz is being served by Moran & Goebel Funeral Home and Cremation Services honored provider of Veterans Funeral Care, 2801 N. Monroe Street, Decatur, IL. View the online obituary and send condolences to the family at www.moranandgoebel.com.
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