Albert Frederick Lahmann

Albert Frederick Lahmann passed away peacefully on May 30, 2024 at the age of 92 in Seattle, WA. Known to all as “Fritz”, he was blessed with a large, loving family and extended family who will miss his zest for life, his unstoppable humor, and the excitement he found just being present with those he loved.

Fritz was born on March 1, 1932 to Dr. Albert and Florence Lahmann in Milwaukee, WI. His four sisters – Mary, Suzy, Polly and Betsy – loved sharing stories of growing up with his love for sports, summers at the lake, their time living in San Diego, and his many antics with friends. He was a graduate of Marquette University where he studied business and played on the tennis team. During college, he met his future wife on a blind date. He married Anne Fetherston Lahmann in Milwaukee on Aug. 4, 1956. Fritz and Anne went on to have six children over the next 10 years. His children were the center beam of his life and he gave everything a father could give. He set the foundation on which his family’s lives would be built.

They moved to Potomac, MD in 1965. You could always find Fritz on a sports field coaching his 6 kids, working on his vintage Volkswagen convertibles, or entertaining poolside in the backyard. Summers at Bethany Beach and piling into the family wood-paneled station wagon are core memories. In 1978, the family moved to Hunterdon County, NJ where life evolved into high school graduations, college graduations, weddings and grandkids. Holidays were especially magical, steeped in traditions, and filled with the flavor of his culinary talents … especially his German-inspired family recipes.

After the passing of his wife, Anne, in 1996, Fritz visited daughter Kathryn in Seattle and never left! He joined Kathryn as part of her real estate team for several years. He met his partner, Susan Sellin, and shared the last 26 years together. Fritz fully embraced Susan’s family and became an integral part of their lives. Susan’s daughter, Amy Sajer, husband Peter, and their 3 children are another branch on Fritz’s family tree. They shared idyllic summers on Whidbey Island, and winters at Crystal Mountain. Fritz and Susan shared a love for travel with trips to Italy, Costa Rica, Croatia, cruises to the Caribbean and the Panama Canal, and road trips galore. They were active playing golf, tennis, skiing, kayaking and enjoying the beauty of the PNW.

Fritz leaves behind his six children – Marnie Symonds (Jess), Sue Kemp (Bernie), Kathryn Hinds (Jack), Jack Lahmann (Cathy), Judie Graver (Herbie) and Tom Lahmann (Kristi), and his 16 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren who called him “Poppy”. He is also survived by his sisters, Betsy Carson and Polly Siskowitz, and his loving partner, Susan Sellin.

His has been a story of a life well-lived, of family devotion, of strength and determination, who never lost his humor or spirit for life. We will hold his stories and memories in our heart and pass them down to the next generation … “what the heart has once owned and held, it shall never lose”.