Marta (“Marty”) Moore Lutz, 80, of Olive Branch, MS, passed away on April 30, 2019 at her home in the company of her daughter Kristy and son-in-law Curt.
Marty was born and raised in Cuba, Illinois. She was the daughter of a coal miner and homemaker (and piano virtuoso), and she embraced her small town, Midwestern roots her entire life. A graduate of the University of Illinois, she also completed graduate work in music education at the University of Kentucky. She loved music, her family, teaching clarinet and other woodwinds, good food, her cat Harriett, Frank Sinatra, and As The World Turns. After marrying her husband Warren Lutz, who she met at the University of Illinois, they lived in Stevens Point, WI before moving to Starkville where she lived for 36 years before retiring to Franklin, TN. She recently moved to Olive Branch, MS to be closer to her daughter Kristy and her family.
Marty and her husband Warren were charter members of the St. Luke Lutheran church in Starkville, founding it with a handful of other couples in 1966. She was also a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Thompson’s Station, TN.

Marty started her career teaching elementary English, but the majority of her life’s work was teaching clarinet, saxophone, and flute to the students of Starkville, MS. She believed in mastering the fundamentals and not cutting corners. She proudly put more clarinets in the Mississippi Lions All State Band than any other teacher in the state. At one time, she had multiple Bb clarinets and all low clarinets (alto, bass and contra) in the band. In the world of Mississippi music, this was an enormous and unprecedented accomplishment.

She was preceded in death by her husband Dr. Warren William Lutz; parents, Robert C. and Kathryn Moore; brother Robert A. Moore; and son Eric Moore Lutz.

She is survived by her daughter Kristy (Curt) Ulmer of Olive Branch, MS; her son Warren (Holley) Lutz of Alexandria, VA; her grandchildren Eva and Warren Ulmer, and Seeley and Carver Lutz; and her niece Lynda (Jen) Moore of Portland, OR.

Visitation is from 1:00 to 2:30pm Tuesday, May 7th at St. Luke Lutheran church in Starkville with services following at 2:30pm in the church sanctuary. Welch Funeral Home of Starkville is handling arrangements.
Pallbearers are Warren Lutz, Curt Ulmer, Allen Ulmer, Lynda Moore, Dan Brown and Joel White.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
Oktibbeha County Humane Society, P.O. Box 297, Starkville, MS 39760

Psalm 43:4
Then I will go up to the altar of God, to the God of my joy; I will be glad and give praise to you on an instrument of music, O God, my God.