Dianna Deane “Dee Dee” Day Lantz, age 75, of Caldwell, Ohio, died Friday, September 13, 2024, at Altercare Summit Acres. She was born January 25, 1949, in Marietta, daughter of the late Charles Robert and Hattie Marilyn Forshey Rutter. She was a 1967 graduate of Marietta High School. Dee Dee was employed by Baker & Baker Jewelers in Marietta until 1973 when her son Heath was born. She was a woman of faith who attended the Caldwell United Methodist Church and she was a member and former secretary of the Shenandoah Choir Boosters. Dee Dee loved being outside enjoying nature’s beauty, and she loved flowers, especially Black-eyed Susans. She enjoyed reading, watching westerns, coloring, and calligraphy, and was proud of her handwriting. She also loved her special pets who were like her bonus kids. Dee Dee was a spirited woman who loved life and referred to herself as “The Old Girl.”
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, James Orton Lantz, whom she married February 4, 1973, and who died March 9, 2012.
Surviving are her son, James Heath Lantz (Laura Angioni) of Mestre, Italy; her siblings, Robin (Chaz) Chalfant of Marietta and Robert Eric Rutter of Newport; her special family, nieces ~ Missy Nau, Michele Bates, and Carla Nau-Redman and their families; and special friends, Deana Parcell, Judy McMullen, and Deb Bates.
Friends may call Wednesday, September 18, 2024, from 11AM-1PM at McVay-Perkins Funeral Home, 416 East Street, Caldwell, where the funeral service will follow visitation at 1PM with Ken Perkins officiating. Burial will follow at Olive Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Noble County Habitat for Humanity, P.O. Box 223, Belle Valley, Ohio, 43717, or to Amedisys Hospice, 27855 State Route 7, Marietta, Ohio, 45750. The family would like to offer special thanks to the staff at Altercare Summit Acres for their compassionate care of Dee Dee.
