Obituary of Evelyn Lutz Dunham

NISKAYUNA- Evelyn Lutz Dunham, 92, entered peacefully into eternal life with her children by her side at Albany Medical Center on June 10, 2021. She and her twin sister, Emily, were born on July 23, 1928 to Lorin and Marion (Rowe) Lutz in their family home on East Main Street in Circleville, Ohio. The Lutz family history in Central Ohio dates to the first passage of the Cumberland Gap and the Battle of Tippecanoe. The twins, nicknamed at birth “Pat and Mike,” were inseparable. They joined the Girl Scouts, volunteered at the local hospital as candy stripers and “broke the rules” by smoking corn silk as teens. Even though Mike had to shout every morning to rouse her sister from sleep, Pat graduated as Salutatorian from Circleville High School in 1946. They went on to earn bachelor’s degrees from The Ohio State University in 1950. Following college, Evelyn worked for the Girl Scouts of America, and sang in the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church choir in Columbus. It was at choir practice where she met her future husband, Richard “Dick” Dunham, when he worked for the Ohio state legislature. Pat and Dick were married in September 1957 at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Circleville; the couple were married 52 years. Immediately following their nuptials, Dick took an assignment with the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service and the couple moved to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The pair traveled extensively through Cambodia and made trips to Vietnam, Thailand, and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, Pat purchased several beautiful custom-made silk dresses. Sixty years later Ava, her teenage granddaughter, would wear one of those same silk dresses during a 2021 pandemic social distance formal. In 1959 Pat and Dick returned to his hometown of Rochester, New York. They later moved the family to Malden Bridge, outside of Albany to a historic home in Columbia County, when Dick took a position with the NYS Division of the Budget under Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. For more than 40 years, Pat and Dick called Malden Bridge home. Their three children and grandchildren were lovingly raised wandering that property along the Kinderhook Creek. In addition to raising three children, Pat was an avid reader, bridge and cribbage player, lover of crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and a steadfast volunteer (at the local election polling site, 1970 U.S. Census, American Red Cross, and the American Cancer Society). She and Dick were long-time social members of the Old Chatham Hunt Club. After her husband’s death, Pat moved back to Circleville where she shared nine years with her twin sister, nieces, brother-in-law, friends, and many visits from her children and grandchildren. She was a devoted member of the St. Philip’s parish and continued to volunteer. Evelyn came to live in Niskayuna with her daughter Marilyn and son-in-law Darrell following her sister’s death in 2019. The last of her generation, Evelyn outlived her husband, brother and sister-in-law (William and Helen Lutz), and sisters (Marilyn Lutz Brehmer and Emily Lutz) and brother-in-law (Robert Brehmer) likely in part due to the strength of Sebastiani chardonnay, the quick knowledge of the next Jeopardy question, and her faith that she would “just keep going.” Evelyn’s children want to share that faith with everyone who cared for her and ask that you count your blessings every single day. Evelyn did, and it gave her peace and joy. Her children and grandchildren will always be grateful for the legacy, traditions, and love given to them by Richard and Evelyn Dunham. She is survived by her three children: Jennifer Dunham (Sodus, NY), Marilyn Dunham (Darrell) Fountain (Niskayuna, NY), and David (Tonjia) Dunham (Fairport, NY), six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, three nieces and many other beloved family members. At her request, there will be no calling hours and interment will be private at the convenience of the family. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 27 from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Malden Bridge Community Center. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Evelyn’s name to St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 484/129 West Mound Street, Circleville, Ohio 43113 or the American Red Cross, 33 Everett Road, Albany, NY 12205. Arrangements are under the direction of Simple Choices, Inc. "The Cremation Service" To leave a special message for the family, please visit: SimpleChoicesCremation.com