Lothar Wilhelm Bandermann

June 25, 1936 - January 5, 2020 Resident of Cupertino

Lothar Wilhelm Bandermann, devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, passed away peacefully, and surrounded by his family, on January 5.

Lothar was born June 25, 1936 into a coal miner’s family of seven children near Dortmund, Germany. He emigrated to California in 1960 and obtained his B.A. from UC Berkeley in 1963 and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Maryland in 1967. He was a professor at the University of Hawaii until 1978 and then moved to Cupertino, where he worked as an aerospace scientist at Lockheed Martin in Palo Alto until his retirement in 1998.

Lothar’s love and talent for music started at age nine and was divinely inspired by his Catholic faith. From 1980 until 2017 he was the organist for three local churches: St. Martin’s in Sunnyvale, Union Church of Cupertino, and St. Joseph’s of Cupertino. Lothar began composing sacred music as a teenager and continued to use his extraordinary gift until his passing. His more than 1000 compositions include sacred works orchestrated for organ, piano, solo voice, choir, and orchestra.

In Honolulu, Lothar met his “Hawaiian flower,” Billie (“Bunchie”) Reeves, who was a music graduate student at UH, had studied music in Switzerland, and shared his love of German Lieder. They shared 49 wonderful years of marriage and music. He is survived by his wife; their three children, Reeves, Tony, and Judy; their seven grandchildren; his five siblings in Germany; and numerous nieces and nephews in Germany, California and Hawaii.

Friends are invited to a Vigil Service Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 7:00P.M at LIMA & CAMPAGNA SUNNYVALE MORTUARY, 1315 Hollenbeck Avenue, Sunnyvale. Funeral Mass will be held Friday, January 17, 2020 at 11:00A.M at ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO PARISH, 10110 N. DeAnza Blvd., Cupertino. Reception to follow the Mass.