Obituary: Henry Richard Luss

Henry Richard Luss passed away Thursday, March 29, 2018, at his home in Winter Garden, Florida, after a short battle with brain cancer. He was born in Camden, New Jersey, in 1939 to Harry and Edith Luss.

Henry worked at Eastman Kodak, Rochester, New York, for 29 years as an X-ray crystallographer. After retirement from Kodak, he taught science and physics at Notre Dame in Batavia, New York.

He is predeceased by his parents; his first wife of 38 years, Jean Luss; and his sister, Catherine Sharp.

He is survived by his second wife of 16 years, Sandi Luss; children, Richard (Oma) Luss, William (Betsy Tascione) Luss and Susan (Jake) Saulter; bonus children, Don (Amy) Heath, Bill Heath and Kimberly Konings; grandchildren, Holly (Jon) Miller, Jake Saulter and Natalie (Andrew) Cook; bonus grandchildren Tyler Heath, Nikki Heath, Erin (Alex) Price, Billy Heath, Sierra Heath and Claudia Konings; 11 great-grandchildren; sister, Betty (Thom) Quayle; niece, Faith Sharp; plus a large extended family.

Henry moved to Florida in 2002. While living in New York, he was always involved in his children's lives — reading them bedtime stories and coaching their T-ball and Little League teams. 

He was an active member of Pearce Memorial Church in Rochester, where he was a player coach on several Suburban Church League championship softball teams well into his 50s. He spent summers at Lighthouse Christian Camp in Barker, New York, and was involved in many activities at the camp.

After moving to Winter Garden, he became an active member of The First United Methodist Church of Winter Garden.

Henry’s Christian faith was very important to him, and he showed this in his daily living and interactions with others. He was Dr. Paws at Vacation Bible School, and the children still called him Dr. Paws for a long time afterward.

Henry loved to play golf, and even if he lost golf balls on the course, he always seemed to find more to bring home. His lifelong dream was for the Eagles to win the Super Bowl, which they did in 2018 just before he died.  His family was very important to him, and he passed on many good attributes to them. 

Henry will be buried in East Bethany, New York, next to his first wife, Jean. A service will be held at Pearce Memorial Church in Rochester, New York. A private burial will be held after the service.

A memorial service will be held at The First United Methodist Church in Winter Garden at a later date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The First United Methodist Church of Winter Garden at 125 Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden 34787; or The Jimmy Crabtree Cancer Fund, JCCF’s address is P.O. Box 770446, Winter Garden, FL 34777.