David R. Lorenz
David R. Lorenz of Riverside died on March 26 at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead following a lengthy illness. He was 75.
Mr. Lorenz was born on March 2, 1938, to Oscar and Madeline Lorenz. While attending Riverhead High School, he held the state wrestling championship record in the 148-pound weight class for many years.
After graduating in 1957, he went on to serve in the military, first with the Navy for four years and then in the Air Force for another eight years. Since wrestling was not something he could pursue in the Navy, Mr. Lorenz joined the Air Force when it came time to reenlist. He also learned how to box and won several trophies.
After being discharged, he moved back to Riverhead and worked in the shipping and receiving department at Adchem Corporation until his retirement in 2003.
Family members said Mr. Lorenz, who sported a handlebar moustache and drove around in a two-tone 1981 Corvette, was well-known around the Riverhead area. They said he could usually be found outside the 7-Eleven on Route 58 after 10:30 p.m. at night, with a cup of coffee in one hand, a toothpick in his mouth and waving to friends and acquaintances.
Mr. Lorenz is survived by a daughter Sondra Gail Frazier, a son David Scott Lorenz, and two grandchildren Makalia and Luke Frazier, all of Church Hill, Tennessee, and a sister Ruth A. Topping of Unadilla, New York. He is also survived by four brothers: William of Bainbridge, New York, Douglas of Mount Vernon, Texas, Frederick of Dumas, Texas, and Jack of Piedmont, South Carolina.
He was predeceased by his parents and a brother, Paul.
The family received friends at the McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead on March 28 and 29. A funeral service was held at the funeral home on March 30 and interment took place in Flanders Cemetery with military honors.
on Mar 29, 2013