Obituary of John T. Laetz

John T. Laetz, 87, of Manheim, PA, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Thursday afternoon, April 24, 2025 at Abbeyville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lancaster. Born in Detroit, MI, he was the son of the late Walter Laetz and the late Adelia Kethe Laetz Brott. John was the husband of Linda Jeffries Laetz for 31 years on October 23.

John attended Calvary Bible Church in Mount Joy. During the Vietnam War, he served as an Airman 2^nd Class in the United States Air Force. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.

He was employed as an electrical engineer by Consumer Power, and its successor, CMS, for more than 30 years until taking an early retirement at age 55. He then relocated to North Carolina where he was distribution manager of electrical power at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for 10 years before transferring to UNC-Chapel Hill Hospital, again as an electrical engineer. Not to show favoritism to university rivalries, he was employed by North Carolina State University for 5 ½ years before returning to his former position at UNC-Chapel Hill where he retired permanently in 2010.

John enjoyed the sport of baseball as a player during his enlistment in the Air Force and on church leagues while living in Chapel Hill. Of course, he was true to his home team, the Detroit Tigers. John also had a license to fly both private and commercial aircraft as well as having an instrument rating. He was a member of various flying clubs and enjoyed both vegetable and flower gardening.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two children, Jason T., husband of Ruth Laetz, of Nolensville, TN and Amanda Garcia of Ocala, FL; and seven grandchildren. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Helen.

A funeral service will be held on Friday morning, May 9, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Calvary Bible Church, 629 Union School Road, Mount Joy, PA. Interment will be private in Memory Gardens in Ephrata. The family will receive guests during a public viewing at the church on Friday morning from 10:00 AM until the time of the service. All are invited to a luncheon at the church immediately following the service. If desired, contribution may be made in his memory to Samaritan’s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607. To express a condolence with the family visit, www.spencefuneralservices.com  To watch a webcast of the service, visit Memorial Service for John Laetz.