Armin Erwin Lohr

Columbus, NC—Armin E. Lohr, a native of Prarie du Sac of the town of Troy, Wisconsin, died peacefully in Columbus, North Carolina on Saturday, October 17, 2020 at Tryon Estates Retirement Community, of which he had been a resident since 2004. He was 102 years old.

Born on March 11, 1918, he was the 9th child of the late Johann and Paulina Lohr. He was captain of his High School State Championship basketball team before graduating and went on to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, graduating in 1939 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. This was followed by jobs in industry and then the United States Department of Defense in 1941. The day after Pearl Harbor found him and his Engineering Team at Maui, Hawaii. He became commissioned as Second Lieutenant, in the U.S Army Technical Corp, retrieving unexploded ordinance on the slopes of Mount Haleakala, using Harley Davidson motorcycles for transportation, defusing said munitions, figuring out what went wrong, and reporting possible corrective actions for the defense industry to the upper chain of command. This was followed with service with DOD Service to USAREUR, in Heidelberg, Germany and special assignment by the U.S. Dept. of State in Pakistan. He was sent back to the U.S. in 1959 for start-up of munition plants and works of the U.S. Army during the Viet Nam War, while living in Sparta, New Jersey. He retired from the Dept. of Defense after 40 ½ years of service on December 31, 1981 from Picatinny Arsenal at Rockaway, New Jersey and subsequently worked as a consultant with Werner Pfeiderer Corp. at Ramsey, New Jersey for 5 years.

He and his wife, Dorothy Mae (Chaney) Lohr, moved to Arden, North Carolina in 1986. She preceded him in death January 31, 1996 after 48 years of marriage. He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Ralph and Nina Lohr of Denville, New Jersey, a daughter and son-in-law Diana and Raymond Moore of Normal, Illinois, two grandsons, Robert and Armin; a granddaughter-in-law, Jordan and two great grandsons, Heath and Chip; sons of Armin and Jordan Howard, also of Normal, Illinois. He had 6 sisters and 3 brothers, all of which have passed to their heavenly home.

Due to COVID-19, a funeral service will be live streamed on the McFarland Funeral Chapel Facebook page. The service will be streamed on Friday, October 23, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. (eastern time) and 2:00 p.m. (central time), officiated by Dr. Chris Osborn with Military Honors given by the Polk County Veteran Memorial Honor Guard.

A larger service will be held in the Spring of 2021.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his name to Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church in Hendersonville, NC which he attended when he was able.

He will be sorely missed by family and friends.