Introduction to I Remember
The seeds of I Remember have been germinating for some time. Over the years I have talked to Garth, Allegra and others about how great it would be to have a forum to share stories about our loved ones. Everyone wants their memories written. I first posed the idea that if everyone wrote ten memories of the departed, the sheer volume of material would be overwhelming... but wonderful. We pared that down. Sort of. I may have more memories for some, but less for others. Together we will have many.
I did a quick list of those who should have an entry. It is not complete or in any sort of order. Any lack of mention is unintentional. Please let me know about others.
I hope that you can help me with the following:
1. I would like to include the obituary with each entry. This will give people a better understanding of how everyone was connected to each other.
2. Full name. First, middle, maiden, married... nicknames. Whatever you have I will post.
3. Date of birth, marriage, death... and any other important information
4. Photographs. There is currently limited space for this blog, but it can be expanded. Pictures of people are vital to a story. As soon as I figure out how everything can be included, I will accept low-resolution photos to place with the entries.
I do not have everything for the following possible entries, but will update them when I do.I hope that there will be information about most of them.
Henry Horace Lantz, Anna Cornelia Kellogg Lantz, Joseph S. Elliott, Bertha Maude Russell Elliott, Lura Cole, Beatrice Ford, Blanche Edwards, Ellsworth Alvah Lantz Sr., Sadie Elva Elliott Lantz, Geraldine Olla Elliott Coleman Lantz, Ellsworth A. Lantz Jr., Wealtha Cole, Terry, Joseph Henry Lantz, Wesley, Barbara, George A. Lantz, Carmeta Williams Lantz, Wanda, Steve, Chuck Eschenburg, Brandon, Norlene Hunter, Katherine, Pearl English, Duane Thomas ‘Tom’ Lantz, Marlene JoAnn West Lantz, Nathan Hale Lantz, Tim Peck, Sharon Dawn Stanton, Gwendolyn Stanton, Elvin West, Vivian West, Edna West, Benjamin Oscar West, Sabrina, Billie Bidwell, Bessie Bidwell, Clinton Estes, Reva Estes, Noreen Pipher Long, Kenneth West, David Bailey, Joyce Kriner, Floyd Hilliker, Thelma Hilliker, Charlie Elliott, Mary Elliott, Reg Tully, Norm Shores, Donna Musselman, Richie Stanton, Connie Kithcart
Many of these people are my family, friends and neighbors. You will have others who were important to you.
I don't want to fill these pages with generic entries. “He was a wonderful person. He was caring.” I want stories, not platitudes. Tell me why he or she was wonderful or caring. Give me stories.
Some human qualities can be appreciated. I don’t think any of us are saints or perfect. But I don’t want (and won't publish) attacks that impugn anyone's character. Certainly each of us has done something illegal or socially or morally reprehensible. We’ve hurt those we love. I don’t want these stories, but I am not trying to deify anyone either.
I will be the judge of what stories are acceptable. As soon as others begin helping me post content, they will take on those duties.
For now I am asking for patience. This is going to be a process. The end result, I believe, will be worth it.
Email: dennis@dennislantz.com
Ellsworth Alvah Lantz Sr.
ELLSWORTH Alvah LANTZ SR., (DUTCH) 77, of
Ulster RD 1, a lifelong resident of the Valley, died Monday, Nov. 30,
1987. Born March 24, 1910 in East Smithfield the son of Henry and Anna
Kellogg Lantz, he was married to Geraldine Lantz.
Mr. Lantz was a farmer and worked for Sylvania for 17 ½
years before his retirement 15 years ago. He is survived by his wife,
Geraldine; eight sons, Ellsworth Jr. of Ulster, Joseph and George, both of
Middleburg, Duane of Ulster, Nathan of Milford, Del.;, Emory of Ulster, Edgar
of Milan and Garth of Williamsport; five daughters, Mrs. Charles (Faith)
Eschenburg of Athens, Mrs. Duane (Norlene) Hunter of Athens, Mrs. Sharon
Stanton of Ulster, Mrs. Allegra Peck of Ulster and Mrs. Douglas (Delphine)
Bidwell of Athens; a sister, Leatha Whiting of Wellsboro and a brother, Luther
of Milan; 48 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Sadie Elliott
Lantz, in 1965 and by three daughters, Gwendolyn, Hope and Jewel.
Friends may call at the Lowery funeral Home, 225 S. Main
St., Athens, on Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral service
will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Pilgrim Holiness Church, Sayre.
The Rev. Herbert Fisher of Howard, Pa. and the Rev. Billie Bidwell of Endicott
will officiate.
Burial win be in the Tioga Point Cemetery. –Towanda Daily Review.
Burial win be in the Tioga Point Cemetery. –Towanda Daily Review.
Allegra:
Early memories of him and mom flirting. He would pull her close and say things
at different times or sing her little ditties. “Sadie, Sadie, kiss me over the
garden gate.” (Note: I looked this up on
You Tube. I am not certain if this was the same song he sang, but Polecat Creek’s version here… has lyrics something like: ‘come on
and meet me ‘round the bend just after midnight… don’t be cruel and make me
wait… under the stars so white under the moon so bright… kiss me over the
garden gate.’)
On
warm weather Sundays, mom and dad would always go on walks in the woods. They
liked to especially go in early spring and pick the first blossoms, like
Jack-in-the-pulpit, then Trailing Arbutus (mom’s favorite). I don’t remember
what it looked like, but she always loved it… see here). Pennsylvania’s flower.
He
would let me mow the lawn, but said it had to be a certain way. When the mower
broke, I would have to beg to get it
fixed.
He
always made us go to church on Sundays, no matter the weather. One year, on
February 12th, we couldn’t get out by the roads. The snow was
drifted. He hooked an old sleigh to the bulldozer so we could go. Mom didn’t
go. She stayed home and made a cherry pie for George Washington. So fun.
Dad
was a pushover most of the time. One instance I regret to this day. Gwennie and
I were fighting and I tattled on her first. He spanked her and it was the only
time I remember him spanking anyone and he cried as well as the rest of us.
One of
the best memories. Every Sunday after church, when we would get home, dad would
play his favorite hymns on the piano. This I will never forget. It is ingrained
in my mind.
I
remember one Sunday, when the family was together, which was normal in those
days. The kids had gone out to play. We had a big leg-horn rooster. The bird
saw Cindy, who was little and blonde. The rooster was bigger than she was and
decided to take her down. I ran and got dad and he came and wrung the rooster’s
neck right there. I was so scared and he became my hero.
I was
in my senior year of school when mom died. He understood and helped. He took me
and my friend Noreen Murphy to play mini-golf. That was a first for me and it
was so great.
When
graduating from high school and then histology school, he was there encouraging
me. He said I could do it.
When
he married Aunt Dean (who became Grandma Jerry), he continued to hold us
together. He was our family rock.
Dennis: I remember numerous holiday gatherings where scores of
people gathered at his and Grandma Gerry’s house in North Rome. Sawhorses and
planks were hauled from the shed to make tables… either outside near the creek
or on the enclosed patio between the garage and house. We played volleyball,
basketball, football and much more at those gatherings. Everyone brought food.
I particularly remember steaming corn.
Grandpa Lantz built outside ‘toys’ for the kids to play on. Most
were old scrap items. I think a washer or dryer became a spinning toy. We
played on it for hours. And do you remember the cable he put across the creek
with the little trolley seat? You couldn’t do that today. We spent hours in his
creek.
I remember church gatherings at his house and the early days of
the Ghent Gospel Chapel. Most of the kids would sit in the back corner of the
living room, out of the way from direct participation.
I remember him driving with Geraldine along the road just below
the Ghent Gospel Chapel in their Buick Skylark. At that point in his life he wasn’t
the best driver. They were all over the road.
I remember everyone gathering at his place to saw up a load of
logs into firewood. I might have been too young to run the old McCullough saw or
split the chunks, but I wasn’t too young to hustle them into the garage.
I remember something distinctive about grilling or steaming corn
at the holidays. Seems like he used some old equipment he had converted. If
anyone can refresh that memory, please do so.
I don’t recall the details of the fire that destroyed his workshop
and an old car. I do remember helping to build the pole barn that replaced it.
Again, please refresh.
I remember fishing with him and my dad once when I was quite
young... over at the Big Pond, of course. I would like to know a bit more of
how and when that pond was built.
The whole hunting episode on the day he passed. I thought he was
standing down by the bridge. A buck ran between me and where I thought he was.
I didn’t shoot. That soon became the least important part of the day.
His camper bus and the little Honda
Probably one of my favorite memories is when he played music on
the handsaw using a violin bow. He would bend the saw just right to give it the
tension to play different notes. Sometimes it would take a while before I
recognized what hymn he was playing, but in the end he made it hum.
The elderberry bush out at the end of his drive. I remember
smearing the berries on each other… such a waste of a good pie or wine. Of
course, he wouldn’t have gone for the latter.
Pouring concrete on the porch by the road. I don’t remember how
old I was, but I remember that the wheelbarrow loads of wet cement were heavy.
I may have dumped one or two before I got it to the right spot.
The old ‘doodle bug’ and moving old Sackett place for a chicken
coop. Obviously this was just a story I heard from my dad. I mentioned it in
the Bradford County History book back in the mid 1990s.
Bulldozers and six-wheelers and earthmovers and dump trucks
Only dog I remember was Tootsie
Trout fishing with Garth, Dad, Ken, Aron and Gramps. Used corn as
bait.
Someone once told me this: Grandpa was fond of saying he only
liked two kinds of pie. After a pause he would say, “hot and cold.”
Matt: Grandpa was always my hero. He always had
time for me. I want to be there for my grandchildren that same way.
I remember asking him to teach me to weld . He didn’t want me to get hurt, but he did weld something so I got to watch. Then he gave me the stubs and a hammer and I had to drive them in a piece of slab wood.
Another memory was going fishing. I had never been in a boat and he carried me up to the pond and we went fishing just like I was the only thing that mattered.
A few years later we had returned from Louisiana and I wanted to drive the little Honda up the mountain to get milk. He put me in the seat and I’m sure he was just as nervous as I was. We got the milk and as we started to the car he said he had better drive home so I must not have done that good of a job keeping it between the lines.
Duane Thomas Lantz
DUANE THOMAS ‘TOM' LANTZ, 59, of RR 1, Ulster, died May 16,
1998. Born July 28, 1938 in Sayre, the son of Ellsworth and Sadie Elliott Lantz
Sr., he attended the Pilgrim Holiness Church for nearly 30 years where he
served on the board.
He attended the Ghent Gospel Chapel for 15 years where he served as treasurer. He retired from PennDOT in January 1996 due to poor health. Tom also ran a small farm in Ghent for 30 years. Tom enjoyed hunting and fishing.
He attended the Ghent Gospel Chapel for 15 years where he served as treasurer. He retired from PennDOT in January 1996 due to poor health. Tom also ran a small farm in Ghent for 30 years. Tom enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Surviving are his wife of 39 years, Marlene J. Lantz, at home; daughter, Vivian R. Lantz of Ulster, Pa.; son and daughter-in-law, Thomas and Joyce Lantz of Waldorf, Md.; daughter and son-in-law, Vonita and Mark Chaisson of Clearwater, Fla.; son and daughter-in-law, Kenneth and Susanne Lantz of Barton, N.Y.; son, Dennis G. Lantz of Ulster, Pa.; daughter and son-in-law, Wendy and Carl Kithcart of Ulster, Pa.; seven grandchildren, Scott and Regina Lantz, Janel and Breanna Lantz, Taylor Chaisson, Logan Kithcart, Chase Gerould; brothers, Ellsworth Lantz Jr., Joseph Lantz, Nathan Lantz, Emory Lantz, Edgar Lantz and Garth Lantz; sisters, Faith Eschenburg, Norlene Hunter, Sharon Stanton, Allegra Grenier and Delphine Bidwell; many nieces, nephews, cousins and one aunt.
Tom was predeceased by his mother in 1965, and his father in 1987; three sisters, Gwendolyn Stanton, Jewel Crystal and Hope Anna Lantz; one brother, George, and his step-mother, Geraldine Lantz.
Friends may call at the Jay L. Lowery Funeral Home, Athens Monday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at the Pilgrim Holiness Church, Sayre at 11 a.m. The rev. Gordon Kincaid, his pastor, will officiate with the Rev. Billie Bidwell assisting. Burial will be in the Tioga Point Cemetery, Athens.
–Towanda Daily Review.
Dennis: Hard working. I remember he would come home from a day of
work at PennDot and work another four or five hours on the farm… doing hay,
fixing equipment, working on vehicles.
I got my organization skills from him. Things are all over
the place. But he knew where he left them… if they weren’t there it was usually
because one of us kids had moved them. That frustrated him.
I remember deer hunting season… that is when I learned that
he had diminished hearing. I walked up on him a couple of times and he didn’t
hear me. I’m not saying he was a bad hunter, but there were times I think he
was just enjoying being out in the woods. He generally knew where the deer were
going to go when they were driven and instructed me where to walk when I was a
‘driver.’
He taught me to drive. The first time was in the hay field
with the old 1960’s Chevy truck. “Get in and go slow.” I might have been nine.
I wasn’t precocious in that way. He did let me know when I pushed the gas too
much. I think Ken showed me how to drive on the road, but I had a bit of
experience with tractors and trucks in the field because of my dad.
I
remember going to auctions with him. Sometimes he bought a
lot of junk equipment that he fixed up and made work. All of us boys are
partial to auctions… (I keep mine in check more than the others, but
the longing is
there.)
He took us salmon fishing many times. Ken got that bug more
than I did. I remember one time a lady stopped and asked for directions. She
flirted with him and that surprised me. I don’t think he noticed, but I can’t
be sure.
He sawed a lot of firewood. Just about once a week it seemed
he would hook up a battered wagon (they all were battered) to one of the beat
up tractors (they were all nearly as old as he was) and head for the woods.
Sometimes I went along. I am certain I did more daydreaming and roaming about
than loading wood into the wagon.
He used to take his rifle with him when he went to work for
PennDot. I am certain you can’t do that anymore. I don’t know if he ever saw
anything or attempted a shot, but he took it with him often. Of course in those
days, people were reasonable. I recall shotguns being left on the school bus so
that a kid could get off the bus down the road and hunt on the way home. Ken
probably did that. I didn’t. Can you imagine the calamity that would occur if
that were tried today?
He liked to read newspapers. I don’t think he went past
eighth grade, but he was an avid reader. We didn’t have a television, but Uncle
Duane (Hunter) would send boxes of newspapers to us and my dad would read them all. Aunt
Norlene and others would come every Sunday between church and they would sit
and drink coffee and talk. Some of those memories are what inspired me to
initiate this blog. I remember Aunt Lura (Cole), Doris Canfield, Aunt Faith. We
kids would go outside and the adults would hang out.
He bought a saw mill and I helped him use it. The plan was
to cut up enough lumber to build an addition on the house. We cut the beams and
ended up buying the rest because his health was deteriorating. He bought the
backhoe to use in that endeavor and he taught me how to run it. The memories of that mill led me to buy one
of my own years later. It isn’t used enough, but that has nothing to do with
him.
Tom, Marlene and family helped build the Ghent Gospel
Chapel. They weren’t original members, but were pretty close. For a time, Aunt
Allegra, Grandpa and Grandma Lantz and Uncle Elzy held meetings with the
Sensenigs. Some meetings were at the Sensenig house and others were in North
Rome at Grandpa Lantz’s. This continued after we started going. Others may have
attended. I can’t remember, but soon after it was decided that a church would
be built on the Sensenig farm. We dug and got rocks from a nearby hedgerow to
put down for a concrete pad. We went to this church for several years before
there was a falling out between certain members. My parents were not flexible
in their fundamental Christian beliefs. Later they eased some of their social
beliefs, but their interpretation of the Bible remained constant.
He liked lemon meringue pie.
I remember he knocked part of an addition off the house… an
old porch, I believe, though someone can let me know if this is true. Part of
it fell on the tractor and luckily he was uninjured.
He tipped a lawnmower on top of himself on the small bank
between the house and the pond. It was a nice summer evening and I was staying
in the trailer up the road. I walked down to the house and noticed a large part
of the family standing on the edge of the driveway talking. I joined them and
they seemed in good spirits. I chatted for a time and then asked where dad was…
that is when I was told he was lying over the bank and they were waiting for an
ambulance. My observation skills weren’t sharp that day.
I remember that he did plumbing, electrical, construction
and mechanical work around the house. He wasn’t good at some of it, but he did
it anyway. He would often use old materials that he had collected at an auction
or salvaged from some other structure. Everything generally worked for a time.
I remember him tinkering on balers, tractors, the water pump, three-way light
switches, the wood stove and practically everything we had.
He let me steer Grandpa Lantz’s earthmover down through our
field to the creek. Seems like I was four or five.
Marlene JoAnne West Lantz
Marlene Joanne West Lantz
Marlene Joanne "Marley Jo"
West Lantz, 75, of Ghent Hill, Pa., went home to be with her Lord and Savior on
September 19, 2015.
Born November 5, 1939 in Towanda, Pa.,
she was the daughter of Elvin David and Vivian Mae West. She attended school at
Allentown Bible College and graduated from Athens Area High School in 1957. On
April 11, 1959, she married Duane Thomas Lantz at the Pilgrim Holiness Church
in Sayre, Pa. They shared 39 years and raised six children together before his
passing in 1998. In addition to being a full-time mother, she was employed at
the Triangle Shoe Store and Shores' Short Stop before pursuing a career in real
estate.
Marlene's fervent love of God propelled
her into many avenues of service within the churches she attended. For nearly
30 years, she served the Lord at the Pilgrim Holiness Church in Sayre. Later,
she and Tom helped build the Ghent Gospel Chapel. She frequently sang, played
the piano, taught Sunday School, and on occasion was the preacher. She was an
avid reader, particularly of the Bible. Her favorite verse was Isaiah 41:10:
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the
right hand of my righteousness."
She loved a good story. Often, she
would create adventures for her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed
traveling, visiting such places as Italy, Jamaica, Florida, the Bahamas and the
Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Marlene is survived by her six
children, Vivian Lantz of Ghent Hill, Pa., Thomas (Joyce) Lantz of Gettysburg,
Pa., Vonita (Mark) Chaisson of Clearwater, Fla., Kenneth (Sue) Lantz of Barton,
N.Y., Dennis (Christy) Lantz of Warren Center, Pa., and Wendy Lantz of Ghent
Hill, Pa.; nine grandchildren, Scott Lantz, Regina Mckenzie, Janel Lantz,
Taylor Chaisson, Logan Kithcart, Breanna Lantz, Kody Lantz, Thomas Chaisson,
and Kevin Fessenden; two great-grandchildren, Gabrielle and Zyia Mckenzie.
Other survivors include brothers Kenneth (Debra) West, David (Jeannie) West,
sister Carol West, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
In addition to her parents, Marlene was
predeceased by husbands Duane Thomas Lantz and David Bailey; her mother the
Rev. Edna M. West; and her special aunt and uncle, Reva and Clinton Estes.
Friends and family may call on
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Pilgrim Holiness
Church, 607 South Wilbur Avenue, Sayre, Pa., with the Rev. Gordon Kincaid
officiating.
Funeral services will follow at the church at 11 a.m.
Burial will be in Tioga Point Cemetery,
Athens, Pa.
Those wishing to sign the E-guestbook,
send flowers or condolences may do so by visiting www.LoweryFuneralHome.com
Dennis: She was very nurturing. I remember she used to place an old
fur coat over me when I was sick… and that was frequently.
I remember her praying upstairs in her room. Sometimes she
pleaded with God so fervently that she sobbed. I was downstairs but I could
hear her praying for each of us.
She wrote and sang several original songs. Most of them were
on piano or her autoharp. I wish I knew where those songs went. She sang
frequently in church… with Aunt Sharon, Charlie Arnold and many others. The
church played an integral role in her life. She occasionally gave sermons,
taught Sunday school classes, produced Easter and Christmas pageants and
specials, sang. I sang with her on a couple of occasions.
All of us children helped her with her gardening. I think
they were quite productive as we had enough to eat through the winter. She
canned, froze and preserved for days on end. I remember weeding and picking
beans. She would make cook fresh beans with potatoes and milk.
She did a lot of cooking for her family. She wasn’t always
the greatest at it, but as none of us can be accused of being too thin,
whatever she did worked. She once barbecued a squirrel I shot. It tasted like cardboard.
Of course, I also remember her chopping venison with flour and onions and the
result was heavenly. She let us chop and we always made a mess. She didn’t seem
to mind and neither did we.
I never saw her argue with my dad. She got angry at him a few
times, of course. She went for a few walks. She definitely said something to
him when he went to an auction and came home with a big grader that,
unfortunately never ran.
During my early adult years she supported me, perhaps a
little too much. She paid me for doing odd jobs around the house… looking back
I believe she should have urged me to get a job earlier than I did.
She read her Bible every day. She made us do devotional
studies and say our prayers every night before bed.
She would make a huge pot of turkey stew after Thanksgiving
for the opening day of hunting season. Early on there would fifteen or twenty
people eating and hunting. Later that dwindled, but she continued to make the
stew. Potatoes, turkey, carrots, celery, bacon, tiny onions and thickened, with
flour, I guess. It was good.
She liked candy, cookies, ice cream and desserts. Around
Christmas time she enjoyed the chewy Christmas mints and pecan logs. At other
times of the year she liked the caramels with white centers and ice cream. We always
had cookies in the cupboard.
She liked her real estate job even though she wasn’t fond of
showing customers a dozen houses and then having them not attempt to buy any of
them. Wear and tear on the car without an income. This job came later in her life
and she was already having some physical issues that limited her mobility and
her general comfort. But she liked her bosses, Jay and Janet McMoran and their
family. I believe it was a United Home that changed to United Country. Maybe I
got that wrong, but united homes or united countries both sound desirable to
me.
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