By Jane Smith
HIGHLAND BEACH — Frederic J. Puttlitz, 69, died Dec. 13 at Boca Raton Regional Hospital from pancreatic cancer.
Mr. Puttlitz was born Aug. 15, 1944, to Adalbert and Elizabeth Agnes Puttlitz.
He met his wife, Dorinda Lawhead, on her first day of class at a college in Farmingdale, N.Y.
“I said, ‘Excuse me, sir,’ because he was balding and looked older, ‘where is the cafeteria?’ ” Dorinda “Din” Puttlitz said. Her parents had just dropped her off and she was hungry. He escorted her to the cafeteria and soon they were constant companions.
They married in September 1968 and moved to Florida from Albany, N.Y. Because she had multiple sclerosis, her doctor had advised a warmer climate.
Mr. Puttlitz, who was working for IBM, knew the company had a new plant in Boca Raton and told his wife not to worry, they were moving near the ocean.
He worked as an electrical engineer for IBM and gave up promotions because he did not want to move me to a colder climate, his wife said.
A devout Catholic, he was an active member of St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach, where he was treasurer of the Men’s Club and took charge of many of its social events and fundraisers.
“He baked bread every week for the church to serve on Sundays,” his wife said. St. Lucy’s had a social hour after Sunday Mass where members would gather for coffee and pastries.
The last bread he baked was cranberry walnut pumpkin bread, she said, and he also loved baking Sacher Tortes, a classic Austrian chocolate layer cake.
Mr. Puttlitz liked a good cabernet wine and enjoyed cruising across the ocean to Europe where they often took an apartment for a week in Vienna or Amersterdam, his wife said.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Puttlitz is survived by three brothers: Albert (Marie), Donald (Barbara) and Karl (Dianne) Puttlitz; Donald and Patricia Lawhead, in-laws; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial Mass was celebrated Dec. 16 at St. Lucy’s. Glick Family Funeral Home handled cremation arrangements. Entombment at Boca Raton Mausoleum was private.
Instead of flowers, his family requests donations in his name to St. Lucy Catholic Church.
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