Edward L. Lantz of Hollister passed away April 23 at the age of
82.
Edward L. Lantz of Hollister passed away April 23 at the age of 82.
Ed was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and brother who loved his family dearly and will be sadly missed.
Ed is survived by his wife of 60 years, Audrey (Podlasek); daughters Lori (Ron Nelson), Peggy and Mary Lantz Shewmaker (Jeff Shewmaker); son Thomas (Karen); brothers Everett, Willard, Roy and Fred; sister Sylvia Denn; and five grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, James, and his brother Howard.
Born in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Ed grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota. At Lake Crystal High School he earned varsity letters in basketball, baseball and track and was valedictorian of his class. In 1944 he graduated Cum Laude (3rd in his class) from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and minor in Business. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Fraternity.
Serving in the US Navy shortly after graduation Ed was recognized for his leadership skills and sent to Harvard University Navy Communications School for training. He served as an Executive Officer during WWII and later returned to serve under the Commander, Fleet Aircraft–Pacific Region during the Korean War.
During his 36 years at International Minerals & Chemical Corporation Ed held many positions including plant manager for Accent in San Jose, working up to corporate vice president at IMC Headquarters in Northbrook, Ill. He was involved with environmental protection and traveled to Washington, DC where he was Chairman of three different national water quality and chemical committees and the National Metric Conversion Committee. He was always known as a hard worker who gave more than 100 percent in everything he did. After retiring from IMC, he launched two new companies that kept him busy: HEAT and WTIC of which he was President and CEO.
