Photo courtesy of Priscilla Knaus
Gloria Lotz at the New Albany Walking Classic
Photo courtesy of Brian Zuk
Gloria Lotz on a walk
Though she died in June, dedicated New Albany Walking Club member Gloria Lotz continues to inspire others.
Lotz died June 4 at age 67. She is survived by her husband, Stephen Lotz, children, Regina and Alan, and four grandchildren.
Despite having been diagnosed with cancer, Lotz was an active member of the Walking Club and a regular participant in the New Albany Walking Classic. She was also a member of other walking clubs, such as the Telephone Pioneers, Gahanna Get Moving Team and German Village Walking Club.
“I think she was the most positive, upbeat person I’ve ever met in my life,” says Liz Plott, who had been a close friend of Lotz’s for the past 25 years after they met at a health club.
Plott remembers her friend as a dedicated walker.
“The last time I walked with her … here she (was) fighting cancer, but she was still so motivating, because she’s there out on the Creekside Trail walking,” Plott says.
Lotz was known by her peers for being very competitive with herself, having a personal goal of beating her own time from the previous year’s Walking Classic.
“She was just a person who tried to take care of herself and she was willing to work at it, and always saw the positive of everything, always the positive,” Plott says. “I never saw her one time without a smile on her face, never.”
Charles Williams is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
