Daniel R. Lutz

Daniel “Dan” Lutz, 75, of Lansdowne, PA, passed away peacefully on May 8, 2025, after a life devoted to family, service, and building meaningful connections. Born in Massapequa, NY, to the late Cecilia and Robert Lutz, Dan moved with his family to Swarthmore, PA, where he graduated from Cardinal O’Hara High School. There he discovered rowing, a passion that shaped his character and remained a constant throughout his life. At Villanova University he earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, rowed crew, and coached the freshmen crew team, sharing the grit and discipline he loved about the sport. Answering a call to service after college, Dan joined the Peace Corps and spent a formative year in American Samoa, helping design and build water-supply projects while learning about other cultures.

Dan and Regina (“Jean”) settled in Lansdowne to raise their three sons. He began his career with Upper Darby Township before founding Daniel R. Lutz & Associates, Consulting Civil Engineers, in Chadds Ford. His firm flourished, tackling projects large and small – among them, civil design for the public golf course at Glen Mills. Later in his career, he returned to Upper Darby as Director of Public Works, rounding out a professional life focused on practical solutions and the public good.

At home, Dan was the dad who never missed a game, the coach who taught fundamentals with patience, and the trip planner who piled everyone into the station wagon for cross-country road adventures, camping weekends, and beach-house weeks on the Outer Banks in North Carolina or at the Jersey Shore. Ever curious, he explored new crafts with the same engineer’s precision and artist’s eye: photography, stained glass, gardening, even glassblowing. Each hobby produced gifts – literal and figurative – for the people he loved.

Service remained a focus throughout his life. Dan refereed high-school and collegiate regattas on the Schuylkill, guided Villanova engineering students on service trips to Panama to design rural water systems, and gave his time to Murphy’s Giving Market and Joseph’s House in Camden, always lending steady hands and humble expertise.

Dan is survived by his beloved wife of 47 years, Regina “Jean” (née Lynch); his sons Matthew, Michael (wife Laura), and Timothy (wife Jazmine); and his adoring grandchildren Paige, Zoey, Quinn, and Joel, who knew him best as “Pop.” He is also survived by his siblings Donna, Michael, and Susan, many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins, and was predeceased by his sister Karen.

Relatives and friends are invited to his Viewing Wednesday, May 14, 6 p.m.– 8 p.m. at O’Leary Funeral Home, 640 E. Springfield Rd., Springfield, PA 19064 and Thursday morning 10am at St. Philomena Church, 41 E. Baltimore Ave., Lansdowne, PA 19050. Funeral Mass Thursday, May 15, 2025 11am in the Church. Burial Private.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions in Dan’s memory to the Alzheimer's Association.

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