Herbert Fritz Obituary

Herbert Laurence Fritz CHARLESTON - Herbert Laurence Fritz died July 21, 2014 at the age of 90. The relatives and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Fritz are invited to attend his Funeral Service at 11:00 AM, Friday, July 25, 2014, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1157 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., Charleston. A reception will follow in the church Narthex until 1:00 PM. The Burial will follow at Christ Church, 2304 N. Hwy. 17, Mt. Pleasant. The family will receive friends Thursday evening between the hours of 5:00 and 7:00 PM at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Hwy. Herbert's guestbook may be signed at www.JamesAMcAlister.com. Larry was born on January 4, 1924 in Charleston, S.C., the youngest of three sons of Alma Campbell and George J. Fritz. He was baptized as an infant in Westminster Presbyterian Church and was the oldest living member of the church. Larry graduated from the High School of Charleston in 1941 and thereafter attended the College of Charleston where he served as the President of the Freshman Class, played on the tennis team and was a member of Pi Delta Kappa, Student Government and The Chrestomathic Literary Society. In 1943, at the end of Larry's sophomore year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve in World War II. The Army sent him to Oklahoma State University to study engineering and receive military training. He was honored to be in the 103rd Infantry Division and fight in France, Germany and Austria. Larry was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions in combat on January 20, 1945, near Rothback, France. After the war, Larry was commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserves and attained the rank of Captain. Until his recent illness, Larry kept close correspondence with the other members of his "Cactus Division" and was faithful in his attendance to the annual reunions. In 1946, Larry married Jennie Verdier Pinckney, the daughter of Mary DuTart and Gaillard Pinckney. Together they moved to Raleigh, N.C., where Larry graduated in 1948 from N.C. State as a chemical engineer. Larry began his career with Union Camp in Savannah, Georgia and seven years later returned to Charleston with his young family to accept a position in Product Development with Westvaco, where he remained for 32 years until his retirement in 1989. Larry enjoyed his affiliations and friendships he made in TAPPI and other Paper Industry Associations and continued to attend monthly meetings long after his retirement. He was a lifetime member of both the College of Charleston and N.C. State University Alumni Associations. Larry was a faithful Wolfpack Club member and traveled to Raleigh with Verdier to support his beloved Wolfpack Football team for over 50 years. Larry is survived is by his wife of 68 years, Verdier Pinckney Fritz; his daughter, Gail Fritz Puffenbarger and her husband Douglas; his son, H. Laurence Fritz, Jr. and his wife Elizabeth Foxworth Fritz; his son, Charles Fritz and his wife Katherine Fritz; his daughter, Lauren Fritz Moore and her husband Edward, as well as eight grandchildren: David Morris IV, Gaillard Morris, Elizabeth Fritz Bailey, Laurence Fritz III, Christine Fritz Lloyd, Charles Fritz, Jr., Leo Green IV, Gaillard Green; eight great-grandchildren and 23 nieces and nephews. Larry was grateful for his large extended family, including his two brothers, George J. Fritz and his wife Jeannette, and Gordon C. Fritz and his wife Elaine, as well as his brothers and sisters-in-law and their spouses: Mary and Steve Darlington, Peppie and Francis Hanckel, Gail and Max Crayton, Sally and Sonny Hanckel, Nancy and Phillip Pinckney, Caroline and Dick Dickinson, and Martha and Gaillard Pinckney. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The Alzheimer's Association, POB 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090-6011, or Westminster Presbyterian Church Local Missions, Att: Ann Camburn, 1157 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, Charleston 29407. Arrangements by James A. McAlister. 766-1365. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston