Rev. Elizabeth Lartz

LANCASTER The Rev. Elizabeth "Betsy" Lartz passed from the church militant to the church triumphant on Friday, November 22, 2013. Previously a resident of Harrisburg, she moved to Frey Village, Middletown, following surgery to remove a brain tumor this spring, and since July was cared for by the wonderful staff of Hamilton Arms, Lancaster. Pastor Lartz was born on November 3, 1946, in Pittsburgh, daughter of the Rev. Gerhard Luecke and Dorothy Brauer Luecke. She was a 1964 honors graduate of Wm. Penn High School, York, a 1968 graduate of Valparaiso University with a major in Geography, and a 1998 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg with a Master of Divinity degree. She worked at Jack's Department Store of York, and before her ordination was employed at the former St. Joseph's Hospital of Lancaster. She was ordained a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on June 12, 1998, and was called to serve Immanuel Lutheran Church in Williamstown. She went on to serve as Pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Oberlin, Pa., Redeemer Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, and as the interim pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Colebrook, Pa., and Zion Lutheran Church in Liverpool, Pa. Since 2008, she preached regularly at Zion Lutheran Church, Marysville, and other Lutheran churches, and especially enjoyed her last assignment at Simeon Gratz Lutheran Church, Gratz, Pa., in the early months of this year. Pastor Lartz was a former member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (LCMS) in York, where her father served as pastor for many years. When she retired from ministry, she re-joined her home congregation, Grace Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Lancaster, where she had been encouraged in her call to ordained ministry and where she served in many ways as an active layperson, especially working with and caring for children of the church and neighborhood, and teaching the stories of Holy Scripture and Martin Luther's Catechism to confirmation class. She was preceded in death by a sister, Madolyn, and is survived by her brother, the Rev. Mark Luecke of Canton, Ohio; two nephews, Joel Paul Bennet Luecke and Benjamin Mark Bennet Luecke; her former husband, Tom Lartz of Denver, Colo.; as well as numerous cousins, friends, colleagues, and parishioners. The service of Christian Burial will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, 517 N. Queen St., Lancaster, PA 17603 at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26, 2013, with committal following the service at Greenmont Cemetery of York. Visitation will be held for an hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grace Lutheran Church at the address above. The Groffs Family Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc., 528 W. Orange St., Lancaster (717-394-5300), is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be posted on our website www.thegroffs.com