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.

 

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 12^th, 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.