PETER LOTZ
1937-2021
On May 20, Peter Lotz, 84, became a wonderful memory to family and friends. He was kind, loving, and always the perfect gentleman. A man with a cosmopolitan background, he spoke Hungarian, Czech, Russian, and German in addition to English.
Peter was born in Kosice, Slovakia on January 8, 1937. In 1945, after the war, he and his mother fled from the invasion of the Soviet Army. Their dramatic escape led from Kosice via Poland to the famous spa town of Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad) located in western Bohemia, part of today’s Czech Republic.
After attending high school in Marienbad, he graduated from the technical school for construction in Plzen (Pilsen). In 1963, Peter received a Master of Science in Architecture with Honors from The Czech University of Technology in Prague. His first major project after that was the renovation of Karlovy Vary’s municipal building in 1966.
In 1967, Peter returned to Prague, joining the Scenographic Institute where he specialized in acoustics for concert halls and theaters. He worked for Josef Svoboda, the creator of the “Laterna Magika”—a famous multimedia theater now part of the National Theatre in Prague.
During the “Prague Spring” of 1968, Peter was one of the signatories of the “Manifesto of 2000 Words” in support of democracy and freedom of the press. Following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia,
he and his first wife,
Dr. Eva Lotzova (née Eva Brabencová, 1936–1994) emigrated to London via Vienna, finally settling in
New York where he earned his American architectural license.
Peter began his long, successful architectural career in the United States at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in New York. In 1973, he and Eva moved to Houston. Working at several Houston firms over the years, he specialized in the design of research laboratories and technical facilities for projects in the United States, Europe, and Central America. Following Eva’s death, he returned to Prague where he worked for European and American investors at Prague Investments, in charge of market analysis, feasibility studies, planning, and concept design of major hospitality projects in Prague, London, Warsaw, and Milan.
Upon his return to
Houston in 1998, he joined Watkins Hamilton Ross Architects, Inc., where he served as the Director of Research Facilities Planning until
2011, designing many buildings and projects for Texas universities and medical institutions. His last major building was the Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston’s Medical Center.
But, Peter was more than an architect. As a competitive swimmer in high school and college, he developed a lifelong interest in swimming. His other interests included classical music, opera, reading, and travel. He loved art, especially the Spanish artist Joan Miró.
Shortly after meeting Merrianne Timko, an art and food historian, in 2001, they took their first trip together— to Egypt, where Peter fulfilled his desire to see the Pyramids at Giza; they married in 2011. Merrianne’s detailed travel and food diaries document their twenty happy years together. Whether sneaking into the Sistine Chapel before opening hour, enjoying the wines of Mount Etna in
Sicily, or watching sunsets in Provence, they always enjoyed new adventures.
They shared an interest in museums, food and wine, and foreign films. Peter loved Merrianne’s gourmet cooking, and always took an active role in planning their weekly menus and wine pairings.
Peter joins his parents Anton Lotz and Erna Ponevac, Eva, and their beloved dogs Jack and Miro. Peter and
Eva are interred together at Woodlawn Cemetery in Houston.
Peter is survived by his second wife Merrianne, brother and sister-in-law Thomas and Liane Veszelits of Munich, Germany, sister-in-law Melanie Timko, and Don and Phyllis Timko (Merrianne’s uncle and aunt).
In memory of Peter Lotz, contributions may be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or www.mdanderson.org/ gifts. Contributions should be directed to support the Eva Lotzova Memorial Fellowship established to honor Eva’s scientific contributions to the fields of natural immunity against cancer, immunotherapy and experimental bone marrow transplantation.
The Department of Surgical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center uses this fellowship to support earlycareer surgeon-scientists who perform outstanding research.