Larry Fritz, 61; PH for '75 Phillies (One Game)
Bill Schenley
FROM: The Northwest Indiana Times ~
(Paid obit)
Laurence (Larry/Zeb) Joseph Fritz, age 61,
of Highland, IN and formerly of Whiting,
IN, passed away at Munster Community
Hospital, with his family by his bedside,
on Thursday July 22, 2010 after a long battle
with numerous lingering illnesses.
Zeb, as most people knew him, was born
on February 14, 1949 to John and Angeline
(Stefek) in Whiting, IN.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 27 years,
Jean (Benko) Fritz; cherished father of Natalie
Ryann (fiancé, Thomas (TJ) Fusner) Fritz and
Douglas John (DJ) Fritz, all of Highland, IN;
brother, Edward (Liz) Fritz of Whiting; sister,
Nancy (JR) Battista of Schererville, IN;
sister-in-law, Arlene (late Henry/Hank) Hart
of Granger, IN: nieces: Lisa (Charlie) Remmers,
Jonelle (John) Noffsinger, Traci (Milford) Hale,
Kelly (Angelo) Cicco, Amber (Matthew) Dittoe,
Andrea and Krystin Hart; nephews: Edward
(Lianne) Fritz, Todd (Laura) Battista, Mike
(Penny) Battista and Justin Hart; great-nieces:
Anastasia and Isabelle Noffsinger, Lilliana Hale,
Violet Cicco, Kaitlyn Battista and Ryan and
Alex Dittoe; and great-nephews: Clarke
Remmers, Clayton Hale, and Jacob Dittoe.
He was preceded in death by his parents: John
and Angeline Fritz; mother and father in-law,
Emil and Martha (Ciesar) Benko; brother-in law,
Henry Hart and numerous aunts, uncles and
cousins.
Funeral services will held on Wednesday, July
28, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at the Baran Funeral
Home, 1235-119th St., Whiting with Pastor
Kevin Bergmann of St. Paul Evangelical
Lutheran Church, Whiting, officiating.
Interment, Concordia Cemetery, Hammond,
IN.
Family and friends are invited to meet with the
family at the funeral home on Tuesday from
3:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Larry was born and raised in Whiting, IN. He
attended Sacred Heart Elementary School.
He graduated from Whiting High School in 1967
where he was an outstanding athlete in baseball,
basketball and football. Zeb played on the
Whiting American Legion Post 80 baseball team
when it won the state championship in 1965.
He continued his education by attending Arizona
State University for three years before he was
drafted by and signed for the New York Mets.
He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Then
he went to play in the Mexican League where
he won the batting title in 1976 with a batting
average of 355.
After he stopped playing baseball, he went on
to play softball for numerous local teams. Larry
served in the Indiana National Guard, Company
C 113th Engineer Battalion. He was employed
as a truck driver by Metro Intermodal Trucking
of Lansing, IL, Calumet Coach, and Bulkmatic
Transport. He retired in 2004 from Metro
Intermodal due to a disability.
As his children were growing up, he loved and
enjoyed coaching them and others in baseball,
basketball, soccer and softball. He was an
devoted Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls,
and Cubs fan. He was an avid collector of
antique cars and his "baby" was a 1967 black
GTO convertible. During the winter, he loved
sitting by the pool and looking at the gulf out
of the condominium window in Fort Myers
Beach, FL while everyone else was freezing up
north.
Larry was a loving and wonderful husband and
father. He will be deeply missed by everyone
who knew him, especially by his best and most
faithful friend, Barney (our Basset Hound).
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Larry's name
may be made to the Calumet Area Humane
Society, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Whiting, or the American Diabetes Association .
(219) 659-4400.
---
MLB Stats:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fritzla01.shtml
nixi...@earthlink.net
> Laurence Joseph Fritz
>
> FROM: The Northwest Indiana Times ~
> (Paid obit)
>
> Laurence (Larry/Zeb) Joseph Fritz, age 61,
> of Highland, IN and formerly of Whiting,
> IN, passed away at Munster Community
> Hospital, with his family by his bedside,
> on Thursday July 22, 2010 after a long battle
> with numerous lingering illnesses.
> ---
> MLB Stats:http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fritzla01.shtml
Still 1 more AB than just about the rest of us will get in the majors