Date of Death: December 29, 2019

Service Details

Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 3, 2020 at Hohner Funeral Home.

A celebration of Mike’s life will be held at 12:00 p.m. noon on Saturday, January 4, 2020 at Hohner Funeral Home with visitation beginning at 11:00 a.m. Chaplain Brian Lutz officiating.

Obituary Notice

Michael Troy Lutz beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend passed away suddenly at his home on Birch Lake, Vandalia on Sunday, December 29, 2019 at the age of 54. He was born in Three Rivers on December 15, 1965 the son of Roger and Joyce (Hagerty) Lutz. Mike was a graduate of Three Rivers High School class of 1984. All during high school he worked side by side with his dad in concrete. Eventually he established his own Lutz Concrete, where he worked with many businesses and community members in St. Joseph County. In 2016 Mike purchased and operated “Frankie’s Restaurant” in Three Rivers. He was also a co-owner of Sauganash Golf Course in Three Rivers. Mike has been a long-time member of the Three Rivers Elks B.P.O.E Lodge #1248. Mike loved fishing trips to Canada, his beloved dog Hailey, sailing and spending time with his family and friends at Birch Lake, where he was past commodore of the Birch Lake Yacht Club. Mike never met a stranger. His smile, sense of humor, and amazing blue eyes will be remembered by all who knew him.
He leaves to cherish his loving memory, his father, Roger (Eileen) Lutz, of Crystal River, FL.; his mother, Joyce (Geoff) Moffat, of Gobles, MI.; two sisters, Sheri (Ken) Blough, and Tandra (Chuck) Amos and their children, Rachel (Sam Jansen) Blough, Jennie Blough, Zoe Blough, Jedidiah Blough, and Fletcher Amos.
Also, a very special companion, Gina Hoyt and her children, Shauna and Colbey; stepson and granddaughter, Jared and Aurora Trudell.

Additional Information

Memorial donations in Mike’s memory may be directed to American Heart Association or American Diabetes Association. Envelopes available at the funeral home.

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59 Comments

  2. To Mike’s family and friends. Wow what a life he lived in a very short time. He and my sons,Mike and Doug shared lots of fun and good times when they were high school friends. They were also the “egging group”, well Doug was and yes they always got caught. So many good memories of “those boys”. I especially enjoyed seeing Mike at our Taco Tuesday Days. He always came to our table with that smile and look that we loved so much. Gone way to soon, yes, but in the words of Dr. Seuss,”Death ends a life; Not a relationship,”. Hugs and prayers

    Waneta Truckey

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  5. To Sheri and family,
    I just learned of Mike’s passing. I am so sorry for your loss. It has been such a very long time since I have seen you all, but this past September I reconnected with Mike just briefly at Frankies while dining with the MIlnamow family. He was vibrant, welcoming and working the crowd just as I remembered him from my youth. May each memory be held in a star for you to reconnect with often. You are in my prayers.

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  6. A great teammate during many seasons of baseball and a great friend year round during high school! Mike also hosted many of our late night poker games during our high school years and was our driver any time we went out egging houses (though I think we got caught every time!). A genuinely nice guy who will be sorely missed. RIP Mike.

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  7. I was so sorry to here of Mikes passing I had only known Mike as a fellow concrete worker Until we came together as fishing partners on one of the notorious canada fishing trips Learned a lot about Mike then I learned that he was a very hard worker and had some ambitious goals I think he managed to do very well in the short time he had I think he will be missed dearly by his family and all his close friends My deepest condolences to all the family and his close friends and i say goodby to a fellow concrete worker

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  8. Rest In Peace my friend my condolences to the families he was a hard worker and always running hard wish u could have gotten to retirement my friend we always talked about that

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  9. Offering prayers of love, comfort, and peace for the Lutz family and extended families. We have such wonderful memories of Mike, Sheri, Tandi, Roger, and Joyce, from our early days in Three Rivers. We last saw Mike a few years ago at Frankie’s and had such a nice visit catching up. As many have mentioned, such a wonderful spirit and heart!
    Our deepest sympathies…

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  13. So very saddened to learn of Mike’s passing. The perfect example of a hardworking, caring, generous, community driven man. While he didn’t like to toot his own horn about business accomplishments etc, he was very proud and shared of his Birch Lake home/life.
    RIP Mike, see ya at God’s fishing hole.

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  15. I’m so sorry to hear that Mike passed away. I remember him from our days at TRHS as a great person! After reading his touching obituary, it sounds like he led a life filled with many blessings and he brought a lot of joy to people who knew him. Keeping all of his friends and family in my prayers.

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  16. Rest in peace Mike, I knew you as a contractor, customer and person and you excelled at all three. You were honest and hard working and a great guy. This happened way too soon. You will be missed and the world needs more like you.

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  17. Aunt Sue and Uncle Dan Mike I am going to miss your hugs so much, we always got a hug from you if you were at Frankies when we stopped there, that really meant so much. Loved sitting and talking to you. So many memories from past Christmas’ the Lutz family held and all the young ones were there, such good memories and such fun we had. We remember when you came and plowed out our driveway in the middle of winter when we had to come home. Now that I am older I love remembering them. Love to you and the family, because I know you are with us.

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  18. I was very sad to hear about the sudden passing of Mike. He was a very hard working and reliable man who would always focus on giving his best.
    I was always amazed with his efficient working and honest personality and now a days it’s hard to find that in many people.
    He will truly be missed by all that knew him in the Construction Industry or personally. Gonna miss ya Mike! My sincere condolences to his family and all the the lives he touched.
    Bill Basham
    Basham Buildings,LLC

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  19. Hard to believe he’s gone. Been meaning to catch up with Mike for a while now but life gets in the way sometimes. Mike was a great guy. Even when the price of gas went up and he had to charge more for snow removal Mike never raised the price for us. There are a lot of great awesome people out there in this world and Mike was one of the greatest. We’ll miss ya my friend. R.I.P. and I’ll see ya on the other side. Lord willing.

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  20. Mike your generosity and loving heart will always be remembered by many that have been in contact with you. I will always remember the marinaded chicken breasts dinner at your on the lake. RIP buddy.

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  21. Shocked By the news, Mike and I were school mates never saw much of him after those days, but always a happy go lucky, friendly guy. Whether it was football in the park, cruising around 3 Rivers or hanging out at is house my memories are very fond and friendly. Bless You Mike.

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    • I only knew Mike for a short while but he left a lasting impression on me. When I would see Mike he always had a smile on his face and our conversations always left me with a smile on my face. “Rest in heaven Mike, gone but not forgotten”

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  22. Our sincere condolences to the family, friends and community for the heartfelt loss of Mike. We appreciated the relationship with Mike in business and friendship. Al and Kim Lammott with Richmond Sanitary Service.

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  26. Words cannot express the loss we feel. Mike was one of a kind. He was always willing to lend a hand; especially whenever it came to helping a fellow concrete contractor. He’ll surely be missed on the annual Canada fishing trips, too. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and all the many lives he touched in his short lifetime.

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  27. My deepest sympathy to your family
    Mike was a very nice fellow. Always friendly and kind. He was one of my Cub Scouts?you are in my prayers

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  28. We are so saddened by this news. Mike was such a friendly man and always willing to help you if he could. We just saw him on The Monday before Christmas and wished him a happy holiday. He sure will be a loss to the community and to us.

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  29. So sorry to hear of Mike’s passing. He was a customer of ours through his concrete business. A man of integrity, who ran a good business! I always enjoyed swapping island stories with him. Too young. Too soon. My condolences to friends and family.

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  30. I have had the pleasure of working with Mike for the last 20 years. I will remember all the laughs and experiences I had the pleasure to share with him. He was a hard working man and generous in everything he did. Rest In Peace my friend. You will be missed. My prayers and thoughts go out to Mike’s family.

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  31. We only came to know Mike in 2016 when he became the face of Frankies. It is not often that we come to love someone so quickly, but this was our experience of Mike. He was a rare and wonderful addition to our lives and to so many others, many of whom knew him for much longer than us.
    His smile, candor and blue eyes (as you mention) will live on in our hearts.
    How fortunate we have been to have him be a part of our lives.
    Rest In Peace dear friend….we will miss you until we meet again.
    Peace to your loving family…Richard and Nancy Boyd

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  34. Mike was a very friendly and giving guy,( when Tim had his crazy heart issue insident Mike gave the responder who helped me do CPR on Tim a $50 gift certificate to Frankie’s) always was thinking of others. We will miss seeing and laughing with him every week at Frankie’s. Prayers going out to the family.

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  36. I am going to miss you- we became great friends over the years and not seeing you at the club or the golf course will leave an empty space in my heart
    Love you like a brother
    Until we meet again

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  39. Mike has always made us feel at home since we moved to Three Rivers 4 years ago. We have made so many good friends at Frankie’s not only with mike but all his staff. Were definitely lost for words to hear of his passing.
    His smile an great humor will be missed by so many, so sad so young.
    Thoughts an prayers to all his family and friends and his employees at Frankie’s and his other businesses.

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  40. Had a lot of fun times growing up with Mike. We nicknamed him Turtle early on in life. He was my catcher for the majority the games I pitched in HS. We didn’t interact much afterwords, but easily regressed to early life friendship when we did hook up. Mike will be missed. Luv Ya Mike. Keep the rest of the crew in line that passed before you.

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  41. On behalf of my family we welcomed you with open arms and will hold you very close to us forever and always. Your kind heart and genuine personality will linger as we start the new year with heavy hearts. Back at ya, buddy xo

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  44. Mike was my cousin. I have many fond memories of growing up and playing when we were young. He was so full of energy and “Smart Alec” comments! I’ve always been so proud of his work ethics and his business smarts. It is with such a heavy heart that he has passed away only 21 days after my brother Tim, both way too young. It’s a very tough time for our families. God bless you two. You guys were loved by many and will be sorely missed…..

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    • I was so very sorry to hear of his passing, Andy , and such a short time after Tim’s passing. My sincere condolences to you and to his family .
      Kris Dougherty

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  47. Mike and I became friends in 3rd grade. Thru the years we enjoyed many great times, lots of laughs, and wonderful friendship. He was generous and loving to everyone. He will be greatly missed! We are praying for his family during this difficult time.

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  48. Went to school with Mike and we were teammates in baseball. He was one of the good guys back then and later in life. When Uncle Bill passed away last year some of my family went to Frankie’s to share stories. Mike was there that night and came up to us to offer his condolences. He also would give our youngest daughter a sucker whenever we were at Frankie’s. This is such a shock. Prayers to his family.

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  49. Mike was a likable young student when I taught in Three Rivers. Sports were the center of his enthusiasm. Years later, as I knew him through business interests, the good man he became was very evident. Three Rivers and Mike’s family have suffered a loss but his good heart has been left for us to remember. Tom Barnum

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    • Mike was a very likeable person I have known Mike since elementary school always fun to be around played FOP baseball together always a good class mate in in high school I haven’t seen Mike since our 50th year old high school party at frankies,RIP my friend

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