In Memoriam
Ernst Lutz (1949-2025)
Dr. Ernst Lutz, 76, of Thierachern, Switzerland, passed away on July 8, 2025, after a very courageous two-year battle with the neurodegenerative disease ALS.
He was born on a farm in Steckborn, Thurgau, to Ernst and Marianne Lutz on March 23, 1949 and grew up with his three sisters in Thal, the hometown of his father, at the Schlegel, a farm his parents bought at that time. In addition to working hard on the farm growing up, he attended the cantonal high school and then received his Diplom as a Ingenieur Agronom at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich) before moving to America to pursue further education. After earning a Masters degree in Environmental Sciences at Miami University of Ohio and a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, he began his professional journey at the World Bank in 1977.
He was a distinguished Swiss and American economist whose career spanned more than four decades in the service of sustainable development, agriculture, and environmental stewardship. Over nearly 30 years at the World Bank, he served in multiple roles across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and took part in global environmental and agricultural programs. His expertise extended from agricultural economics to environmental policy, sustainable land management, and climate resilience, and he led or contributed to major international projects in more than 30 countries. He specialized as an agricultural economics expert on the Lake Victoria region in Africa, traveling there many times.
Ernst met Marcella Anne Wiemann at a Bible study at the World Bank in 1982, and they married on December 17, 1983. Together, they welcomed three daughters: Christina, Jessica and Stephanie were born in 1986, 1989 and 1992. Family vacations were spent in Switzerland visiting Ernst’s family, hiking, and staying at the Reka Feriendorf in Wildhaus. In 1995 Ernst took a sabbatical and taught at the university of Kiel in northern Germany for a semester, which allowed his family the opportunity to live in a small German village for several months and improve their German language skills.
After retiring officially at age 57, Ernst continued to work as an independent consultant for organizations including the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and International Fund for Agricultural Development. His work took him to countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, where he designed, appraised, and evaluated projects addressing agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, water resources, and climate change adaptation.
In addition to his operational and advisory work, Ernst co-authored and edited numerous books, academic papers, and policy reports. Personally, he authored articles and papers, as well as a book, on the topic of creation, and he was always eager to discuss intelligent design or the age of the earth.
He served as an elder at his local church, was a member of the board of New Hope International, a missions organization, and also enjoyed travelling to visit and become acquainted with foreign workers doing Christian aid work in various countries.
In 2015, Ernst became a grandfather for the first time. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and blessed them very much over the years by seeing them almost weekly. He and Marcella liked to hike in his beloved Swiss Alps, cross country ski, and travel.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Marcella of Thierachern, Switzerland. He is also survived by three children: Christina (Josh) of Olten, Switzerland, Jessica (Benjamin) of Bulle, Switzerland, and Stephanie of Thierachern, Switzerland; grandchildren Isabella, Bennett, Emmett, Lucca and Joy; and sisters Marianne (Walter), Barbara (Ben) and Ursula (Urs).
He was preceded in death by his parents.
A memorial service will be held in Wichtrach, Switzerland, on August 23 at 15:00 CET (9:00 Eastern), with a livestream available at https://youtube.com/live/7i8dmut3SN8.
Submitted by Marcella Lutz
