Lucy Gatza

Lucy Gatza was called to eternal life on Saturday, September 27, 2025. A beacon of faith, she was a devoted mother to Cheri (Jason) Dettwiler of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Julie (Rich) Allen of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lawson Dee and Mary Nell Lane DeLauder; her husband, Raymond Gatza, with whom she shared a lifetime of love; her brothers Lane, John, and Tim; her sister, Cheri (Donn) Eshelman of Spokane, Washington; and her nephews Nick DeLauder and Ian DeLauder, her godson. She was honored to be blessed with many sisters and brothers-in-law: Marie Gatza, IHM; Father Joseph Gatza; Catherine (John) Schwarz; Margaret (John) Beaman; Rita (Don) Jahn; James (Carol) Gatza; Paul Gatza; Eileen (Larry) Wichlacz; and Michael (Julie). She is survived by her brother, Dan (Cynde) DeLauder, along with her sisters-in-law Patty, Sue, and Theresa, and her brother-in-law Donn. She is lovingly remembered by members of the Gatza family—John Gatza (preceded in death by his wife, Marcia), Bob (Carol Ann) Gatza, and Julie Gatza (widow of the late Mike Gatza)—together with many special nieces, nephews, and extended family with whom she had special relationships. Lucy loved her grandchildren—Colleen (Tyler) Humphrey, Morgan Allen, Andrew Allen, Kate Allen, Lucy Allen, Daniel Dettwiler, and Anna Dettwiler. She felt especially blessed to welcome her great-grandchildren, Lucy Humphrey and James Humphrey. She will also be deeply missed by her many dear and cherished friends from Incarnation Parish, her spiritual home since 1995, as well as by countless others whose lives she touched with her faith, joy, and presence. Lucy’s life was a gift to all of us. She lived her faith with joy and simplicity, and she loved deeply—with a radiant smile, a gift for conversation, and a heart that made everyone feel known and valued. To know her was to know Christ and His Blessed Mother. Each person who spent time with her knew they were cared for, understood, and loved. Her warm smile, joy, and genuine love for God were inspirational. She was wise, lived virtuously, and taught us to live in the present moment and to surrender fully to God’s will. She was a woman of deep faith and one who was fully engaged in the world. She will be remembered for the love she poured into everyone around her and for her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Lucy will be deeply missed in her family and faith community. She loved her daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with a heart of gold, and she treasured her close friends. While we will miss her so very much, she lived as she believed—and now we feel confident she is home in Heaven with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and all the Saints in Heaven for all eternity. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, October 11, at 10:30 am at Incarnation Catholic Church, 2929 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34239. The mass will be livestreamed: www.incarnationchurch.org. Private graveside services for the family will be at Incarnation Memorial Garden.

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Lucy Gatza

September 27, 2025