Gretchen Emma Hepfner Lutzy, age 99, died peacefully, with her family by her side, on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at the Lower Cape Fear Hospice House in Wilmington, NC.

Gretchen was born on April 25, 1924, to Robert and Anna (Nordlund) Hepfner in Syracuse, NY.

Gretchen, with her older sister, was raised in a German-speaking household during the Great Depression. They always loved to dance. In her late teens she and her sister put that love to good use as dancing partners for the G.I.s at the local USO. After high school graduation, she enrolled in a secretarial school. In 1946 she married an ex-GI (Foster) and, after a fashion, they were a family of four. As many women in her day, she kept the house and raised the kids. She put her schooling to good use getting a job in the office of the local jr. high school. She helped her boys go to college and graduate debt free.

She liked to bowl, knit, and play cards. The couple also wanted to travel. Once the boys were gone there was no holding them back as they spent the next two decades travelling to all fifty states and many foreign destinations.

She had a strong religious upbringing in the Lutheran faith, and later as a Methodist. She spent many years teaching Sunday school classes at their church in Solvay, NY. After the death of her husband and then her sister, she decided to relocate to Carolina Shores, North Carolina to be close to her sons. She found Camp United Methodist church that seemed to match her style. There she stayed until the end.

Gretchen was predeceased by her husband Foster and her eldest son Douglas. She is survived by her son Kevin Lutzy and wife Beth of Carolina Shores, NC. She is also survived by: granddaughter Sarah Bernas, husband Matt and great grandchildren Liam, Laureligh, and Lexie; grandson Jeff Van Blarcom, wife Amie, and great grandchildren Harris, Sheridan, and Giselle; grandson Greg Prindle and John Miller; granddaughter Amanda Lutzy, husband Albert Clark and great grandson Ferris; grandson Brandon Lutzy and Gabby Goulet; niece Judy Hunt and husband Gerry; niece Diane Marsh and husband Bill; nephew John Kurtz and wife El.

The family extends special thanks to Linda Brown, Dana Bartlett, Shay Godwin, Joyce Baughman, Scott and Sue Berman, Camp’s Ladies on the Bus, and the staff at Styles by the Sea, who surrounded Gretchen with support and tender loving care. They made every day special for her.

A remembrance gathering will be held, on Sunday April 28^th, 2024, immediately following the 10 o’clock service at Camp United Methodist Church, Shallotte NC. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, or Camp United Methodist’s social committees: Friday Night Meals, Ladies On the Bus, or Bereavement Committee.