Obituary

Russel Lohrman, age 94 of Avondale, AZ died April 18, 2019 in Avondale, AZ.  He was born July 27, 1924 in Buck Creek, IN, the youngest of four sons born to Alfred and Margaret Lohrman.    He served in the US Army Airforce from 1943 to 1946 as an airplane propeller mechanic, achieving the rank of Corporal.  Upon his discharge, Russel returned to Buck Creek where he replaced his father as a school bus driver when he became ill.   His daily route took him past a high school student named Arlene.  Russel was interested in Arlene, so he would sound his horn when he saw her.  This was completely frustrating to Arlene’s boyfriend who rode the bus, but it never stopped Russel who continued to find ways to woo Arlene until she became his wife.

Russel and Arlene lived in Buck Creek, IN for many years.  He was a barber and enjoyed gardening in his free time.  He had a natural green thumb and could grow anything anywhere, until the town found that he had planted radishes in the town planters in front of his barbershop and he had to remove them.  When Arlene became tired of shoveling snow, the family moved to Arizona.  Russel took a job in building maintenance at the Goodyear Airport where he worked for 18 years.

Russel was good with his hands and could fix almost anything.  He loved to stay busy and always had little projects going on.  He enjoyed westerns in both movie and book form and was a fan of John Wayne and Louis L’Amour.  He was such an avid reader that he read all the books in his local library, then he was gifted with a Kindle and he enjoyed hundreds more books.  He would read his book to the finish and wait for his daughter, Mary to visit and upload a new story.  In the last years of his life a western was either on tv or on his Kindle from the time he awoke until he went to bed.

As good of a man as Russel was, he had one fault that he never overcame.  He was an avid cusser.  His cussing could peal paint off a wall.  His patient wife tried in vain to correct him, but that colorful part of his character remained with him.  His children remember him as a strict, no nonsense father who spoke once and you obeyed.  They are grateful for the respect that he taught them.   His grandchildren held his heart in their hands.  He would serve them ice cream for breakfast and it was common to see his youngest granddaughter sneaking her hand into his shirt pocket to retrieve the lifesavers he kept in there for her.  He always looked forward to his visits with his grandchildren.

Russel is survived by his wife, Arlene Lohrman; daughters, Diana Lind (Todd), Mary Chubb (Brent) and Ramona Fontes (Adrian); son, Dale Lohrman (Lori); twelve grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held at 8:30 am followed by a funeral service at 9:30 am, Friday, April 26, 2019 at Christ Community United Methodist Church, 104 W. Western Avenue, Avondale, AZ  85323.  The funeral cortege will follow in procession to West Resthaven Cemetery, 6450 W Northern Ave, Glendale, AZ 85301.