Gary Loutzenhiser
September 2nd, 2024
(Glen) Gary Loutzenhiser February 21, 1937 - September 2, 2024.
(Glen) Gary Loutzenhiser passed away in Regina on September 2, 2024 at the age of 87. He was predeceased by his parents, Alva and Doris, and his siblings Robert, Cleo and Carole. He is survived by his daughter Lynn (Eldon), sons Glen (Eleanor) and Marc, and grandchildren Joshua and Maya Soifer of Regina, SK and Toby Loutzenhiser of Oxford, UK.
Gary was born in Moose Jaw SK, the youngest child of Alva and Doris Loutzenhiser. Gary attended elementary and high school in Moose Jaw before pursuing a teaching degree at the University of North Dakota. During school breaks he worked for the CPR railway, starting as a fireman and eventually becoming an engineer. At university Gary met his future wife Nancy Meaker from Binghamton NY, who was studying occupational therapy. Nancy moved to Moose Jaw and the couple married soon after graduation.
Gary and Nancy raised three children, Lynn, Glen and Marc. Gary spent his early teaching career at Riverview Collegiate before moving to Peacock Technical Institute where he taught History and Social Studies. He also helped Nancy operate Prairie West Books, the first independent bookstore in Moose Jaw. After taking early retirement from teaching. Gary spent six months in England studying cooking at the famous Le Cordon Bleu. On his return to Moose Jaw he took on a number of part-time jobs to stay active, including Justice of the Peace and a hospital orderly. In addition to his love of cooking for his family. Gary enjoyed listening to his large collection of LPs and 8-tracks— especially country hits by the likes of Kenny Rogers and Charlie Pride.
In his free time he volunteered with the Moose Jaw branches of the Kinsmen and Rotary international, and coached his sons' baseball teams. He was a talented hockey player and played adult recreational hockey for many years. Due to health issues. Gary moved to Westpark Crossing Assisted Living in 2017, but he continued to drive his beloved Corvette into town for coffee meetings with friends. In 2021 he was diagnosed with dementia and moved to the Helping Hands Care Home in Regina SK, where he resided until his death.
A private interment will take place at Rosedale Cemetery in Moose Jaw.
Messages:
My husband, Don, and I taught alongside Gary at Peacock. He was affectionately called “Loutz” by his colleagues. I remember Loutz with a smile, recalling his kind heart and his great sense of humour. Sincere condolences to all the family.
I was a caregiver for Gary in the caregiver where he lived, he was a very sweet, funny man who liked to play games, we would play a game where I tried to teach him something as he was a teacher, I was able to do this one time! He was a great man who will be dearly missed. Our deepest condolences go to his family at this time.
Mr. Loutzenhiser was my social studies and history teacher at Peacock decades ago now. He was not outspoken, I empathized with him because of some of his outruly students liked to tease him under their breath like they did me. I eventually grew out of my quiet stage and became a protector of the quiet and the bullied. In our classes, He made some statements that stuck with me even to this day. He spoke of Yellowstone National Park’s volcano and its’ possible eruption occurring either in our lifetime or our children’s. Oddly that volcano has been recently active and with that it triggered a memory of his theory. He theorized that where we are now, Moose Jaw, SK would be the safest to be at, if it blew. It would be one of the last safe areas, the lands’ height in relation to the oceans heights, that it would make it one of the safest places to be according to the flow of liquid. I recently searched that it would take 9 days for lava to travel here. Mr. Loutzenhiser was a very interesting and intelligent teacher if one could only understand his own tidbits of information that he added. I wish I had paid more attention to his teachings and of the Trade market than dozing off. Unfortunately for my choices in my life, he happened to be the Justice of Peace who signed me out of cells. It wasn’t until this night that I watched some TikTok videos on governance that made me think of him and wonder where he was and if he was still around because he was already up there in age. It saddens me to learn that he had passed earlier this year. I send my sincere condolences to his family and friends, he will remain in my warnings to my children on the topic of Yellowstone’s volcano. Forever privileged to be one of his students.