The funeral for drowning victim Joey Lutz, 25 years old, whose family lives in Culver City, tentatively is scheduled for 2 on Sunday afternoon at Hillside Memorial Park.
It all depends.
Businessman Jay Handal, a friend of the family who has been closely monitoring developments since Mr. Lutz vanished last Friday, said at mid-day that the timing hinges on release of the body by the government in Panama to Mr. Lutz’s father, Stuart.
Developments have been rife with mixups and problematic responses from a number of government agencies.
A graduate of Culver City High School in ’00 and later from U.C. Santa Cruz, the popular educator who is remembered for his extraordinary bonding with campers and students, had taught English for the past 3 years at Santa Monica High School. A world traveler, since June 30, he had been vacationing in Panama.
Even before a fisherman found Mr. Lutz last Sunday when his body washed ashore about 2 miles from where he entered the water to go swimming, Mr. Handal said the family was frustrated by an inability to obtain satisfactory responses from the American Embassy in Panama and the State Dept.
Mr. Handal also said that a conversation this morning with the office of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) was not helpful.
Meanwhile, the flame of one of young Mr. Lutz’s cherished legacies — bringing together Muslims and Jews in a meaningful way — burned brilliantly this week. One evening at Dockweiler Beach, 80 youthful Jews and Muslims, who came under his energizing influence, gathered to grieve in each other’s company.
