Memorial services for Craig Edward Lunte, Ph.D., 57, Lawrence, will be 10 a.m. Friday, April 17 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church.
Professor Lunte died Monday, April 13, 2015 at his home.
He was born August 6, 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Edward A. and Lois Margaret (Goltermann) Lunte. He graduated from McCluer North High School in 1975 and earned a BS in chemistry from the University of Missouri at Rolla in 1979. He went on to earn a PhD in chemistry from Purdue University in 1984, from which he earned recognition as an Outstanding Alumnus, and did postdoctoral work at the University of Cincinnati from 1986 to 1987. He moved to Lawrence in 1987.
Dr. Lunte was a professor of chemistry at the University of Kansas and was chair of the chemistry department for over ten years. He recently received the Higuchi Research Achievement Award, one of his many esteemed accomplishments. Craig was an avid reader and had an intellectual curiosity that took him far beyond the world of chemistry. He has an incredible group of friends located all over the world, from here in Lawrence to Ireland to Brazil. Many of these have experienced either a loss at golf by his hand or the wonderful, and sometimes painful, fullness caused by his amazing cooking.
He married Sue Hommel on March 12, 1983 in Farmington Hills, Michigan. They enjoyed over 30 years of happy marriage, and together travelled all over the world. She survives of the home.
Other survivors include daughters, Alyson Lunte of South Beloit, Illinois, and Kathryn Lunte of Lawrence, and his father, Edward Lunte of Lawrence.
His mother, Lois Margaret Lunte preceded him in death in 2013.
The family suggests memorials to the American Heart Association or the KU Chemistry Department Endowment Fund (specified on behalf of Craig Lunte) sent in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home & Crematory, PO Box 1260, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Dear Sue,
Our most heartfelt condolenses during this time. We were very sad to hear the news. I have very happy memories from Craig during my time at KU and will miss him. You and the girls are in our prayers.
Victor and Johanna
Dear Sue,
On behalf of myself and the DCU Golf Society I wish to offer our sincere condolences to you and your family on the untimely demise of Craig.
I only knew Craig during his time spent in Dublin as a Walton Professor back in 2005 and 2006 . He was a lovely man and I have great memories of playing golf with him on many occasions. A great Character that will be sadly missed by all his friends and colleagues all over the world.
Our prayers are with you at this sad time.
May he Rest in Peace.
Yours Sincerely
David Kelly
Dear Sue,
Both Shawn and I are deeply sadden by the news of Craig’s passing. You and all your family are in our thoughts and prayers.
Thinking of you all,
Stephanie and Shawn
Dear Sue,
I am very sadden to hear pass away of Craig, my graduate advisor from 1993 to 1998. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time.
My sincere condolences,
Yuan Song
Dear Sue,
I was greatly saddened to hear about Craig. I have happy memories of Craig both from graduate school (he was the only person who was nice to me in my oral exam) and when we worked together at AAPS. Besides being wickedly smart, he had a great sense of humor and an infectious smile. He was someone I looked up to. Sorry about your loss…
Mark
Dear Sue,
So sorry to hear about Craig. He was a great man and it has been a real pleasure to meet him.
Kind regards,
Maciej Grajewski
Sue and family,
We are deeply saddened by your loss. We have fond memories of our time at KU around Craig- the sound of Craig’s laughter emanating from down the hallway will always be with us. We hope that your memories of him and the knowledge that he made such a positive impact on all of the lives he touched will provide some comfort during these difficult times. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Sue, I am very sorry to learn of Craig’s passing. You and he were some of the nicest people I ever worked with. It just seems too soon for him to be gone. My sincere condolences.
Dear Sue and family,
On behalf of the entire Bioengineering Graduate Program, we offer our sincerest condolences. May his memory bring you laughter and comfort every day.
Dear Sue, daughters & Ed, I’m so very sorry for the loss of your beloved, husband, father & son! I met you all at The American Legion when you brought Ed out for The Junkyard Jazz Band to enjoy! Even tho I haven’t known you all very long, I do know you are a family of great integrity & fun to be around!! I remember telling Craig when we all met that he must be a genius, being a Chemistry Professor!! I got great discernment from our visit that he indeed was a genius & a very nice down to earth gentleman, with great integrity! I was so happy to meet & get to know Ed’s son & family! I happened to pick up a paper yesterday & saw his obit & was just SHOCKED!! I couldn’t believe it…such a nice guy who is gone way too soon!! I know he was loved by many & will be so missed! My heart goes out to all your family during this very sad time!! In Jesus love & prayers, Ruth
Sue,
I’m so sorry to hear about Craig. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your girls for this enormous loss. There’s been such an outpouring of appreciation for Craig’s work and affect on people that I hope you find some comfort.
Sincerely,
Connie
Sue, I was so shocked to hear of Craig’s passing. It is very hard to believe.
Our sincere condolences to you and your family.
Craig and Angie
Dear Sue (and family),
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. What a terrible and sudden hole in the world.
I wish you support from family and friends at this awful time.
Amy
Dear Sue and Family–
I am so sorry to hear of Craig’s passing and keep you all in my prayers. I have so many fond memories of Craig when I was in graduate school during the time when he had his “sorority” of girls in my graduating class. How he managed all of us during our oral exams/defenses is a mystery! He will be greatly missed but never forgotten.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Dear Sue and Family–
We are so sorry to learn of Craig’s passing and keep you in our prayers. We appreciated his passion for chemistry and education and have fond memories of him and our time at KU.
Sincerely,
Laura & Robie
Dear Sue,
So shocked to hear this tragic news. Can hardly describe in words how much Craig and you have impacted what we have become today. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your girls.
Our deepest condolences,
Rong and Min
Dear Sue,
Unfortunately I have not had as many opportunities to meet Craig as I have had chances to meet you. I do know though that I cannot even begin to understand what you’re going through. Please accept my sincere condolences.
Phil
Craig was Chair for half my career but he was more than that to me and will be sorely missed. I appreciated his humor, food and respected him for allowing us to debate (and disagree) without repercussions. I will miss him, miss teasing him and laughing with him.
This is one hell of a way to not sign any more effort reports.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family.
With much love,
Beth
Dear Sue,
Our warmest thoughts for You and Your Family.
Sincerely,
Erika and Rao
I was very shocked and saddened by the news of Craig’s untimely death. Please allow me to express my deepest sympathy. Craig was definitely one of my favorite people in the analytical world. He was not only a great analytical scientist and teacher but a real joy to hang out with. I remember sitting in a Pubs with Craig many times. All were very entertained by Craig’s excellent sense of humor and his Irish jokes. I will miss him.
Dear Sue,
Steve and I and the boys are heartsick for you and the girls. Words cannot express how shocked we were when Bill called with the news of Craig’s death. He truly was one of those people that made you feel like a friend only minutes after meeting him. We are blessed to have known him.
We will keep you and the girls in our prayers.
With love,
Steve and Colleen
Sue,
We were really sad to hear this. Craig was always a good and fun man in every moment we shared with you guys. He was also a great scientist and will be missed for both his personal and professional qualities. We are praying for you and him.
Our sincere condolences,
Richard and Inácia
Sue,
Craig had such a great impact on so many people. I hope that you and your family are comforted by many wonderful memories.
You will all be in my prayers,
Jana Jensen
My thoughts are with the entire Lunte Family, especially Sue, Allison, and Kathryn. The entire KU community and the Lunte Lab family that is spread across the US and abroad has lost a wonderful man. You are in our thoughts and prayers Sue, and the number of messages here is a testament to how many lives you have both impacted!
Courtney
Dear Sue,
I just have heard about Craig passed away. You and your daughters are in my thoughts during this time. I have a collection of “Encyclopedia of Science and Technology” that I have received from Craig so his memories will always be with me. He was such gentle soul. I always remember his lively laughter.
Warm regards
Baki
Dear Sue,
Not only was Craig a great scientist, but overall a wonderful guy to be around. I have many memories of joy and laughter with Craig over the last three years here in Lawrence. His mentorship and friendship will be greatly missed but not forgotten.
Thoughts and prayers for you and your family throughout.
Trey
Dear Sue, so shocked and saddened by this news of your loss. Bruce and I will keep you and the girls in our thoughts and prayers.
Dear Sue,
our heartfelt sympathies. Craig’s momentum, good spirit, leadership, scientific insight, and friendship will be missed.
Your family is in our thoughts and prayers.
Edgar and Mike
Sue,
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time. Craig’s untimely departure leaves many students, colleagues and friends who had the opportunity to know him saddened, but also appreciative of the opportunity to have known him. He was a special person to many.
Condolences, Mike
Dear Sue,
We were so sorry to hear about Craig. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the girls during this difficult time and we hope that all of your good memories lessen your sorrow over losing him so soon. We both have many fond memories of our time at KU interacting with both you and Craig.
Sincerely,
Marie and Kamal
Dear Sue,
I am so sorry to hear about Craig. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time. Craig has left a tremendous legacy — not only in the field of analytical chemistry but in the KU chemistry department that he led for so many years.
With deepest sympathies,
Jared Anderson
Dear Sue,
I was greatly saddened to hear that Craig has passed away. My sincere condolences to you and your family. Craig was a great scientist and a wonderful, kind person. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities I had to talk with him about research, and comparing notes about how the academic world runs on the two sides of the Atlantic. Craig will be missed by many in our community. I will remember fondly our visit to you both in Kansas last November. My thoughts are with you and your daughters in this difficult time.
Sabeth
Sue,
We are so sorry about the loss of Craig. Craig was a great scientist but so much more. He was a great golfer, husband, father, friend. LACE will never be the same again wihout him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Chuck & Amy
Dear Sue,
I am saddened to hear this news and my thoughts and prayers are with you and the girls. I so very sorry for your loss. He was such a lively, good-natured, and generous man (with such an infectious laugh!). He will be missed by all.
With deepest sympathies,
Bryan
Sue,
Very sorry to hear about your loss. Our thought and prayers are with you.
Ajai and Archana
Dearest Sue, Alyson and Kathryn;
Words cannot express our sorrow at this untimely death of Craig. May the memories of him console you all at this time. Our deepsest sympathies to you.
Binodh and Gamini
Sue, Alyson & Kathryn–
I am so, so sorry to hear of Craig’s death. I worked in the Chemistry department with him for over 20 years and he was truly a great guy to work with and for. What a great personality! He had us laughing on many occasions and it was obvious that he was loved and respected by his graduate students. There was a great mutual respect between him and his graduate students. What a huge loss to the chemistry world.
I can’t be there Friday, but please know that you are all in my prayers and I will ask for prayers at my church on Sunday. I hope you can take comfort in knowing how many people are here to support you and that we all share your heartache.
God bless you all. Terrie Lindholm
Craig was a wonderful mentor and I am blessed to have been trained by him as a graduate student. He was a great encourager and a great scientist. I can still hear his loud laugh in my head. I will miss him. Sue, you and the girls are in my and Shane’s prayers.
Dear Dr. Sue Lunte,
We are so heart broken to hear about Dr. Craig Lunte’s untimely death. This news brought tears to our eyes. He was a wonderful professor and a teacher. He has helped me to get admission to the chemistry graduate program. I am so grateful to him in many ways. Dr. Craig Lunte will be in our memory forever. We will miss him truly and deeply. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.
Anuranga and Sanjeewa
I’m so very sorry Sue. Craig was amazing. A fun person, caring, smart. Thinking of you.
Dear Sue,
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time. My heartfelt condolences.
Erin Hugger
Sue, Alyson & Kathryn,
Our prayers and thoughts are with you during this difficult time. If I may be of help to you or to Craig’s dad, I’m a phone call away. I had a wonderful visit with Ed a few weeks ago. Know that I will continue my visits as he also suffers this great loss.
Our love,
Jackie & Rachel
Dear Sue,
I am so sorry to hear of this terrible loss. Craig was a true gentleman and just a gem of a man. I am honoured to have known him. The thoughts of Annette and I are with you and your girls.
– Brett and Annette
I wish the Lunte family love and consolation.Craig’s class was the first class I ever took when I was attending KU, I have very found memories of it.
Kind regards,
Pablo Palafox
Sue
I am truly sorry to hear about Craig. He was a wonderful person and I am blessed to have known him personally and professionally.
John Augusto
Dear Sue,
This comes as such a shock to all of us in the research community. I wish you the best in what must be a very hard time for you and your family. Craig will be missed by many.
Sue:
What sad news and a shock. I really enjoyed Craig’s humor in our AAPS retreats and workshops. He must have been a great mentor to the students. Always with a joke and a wonderful smile. My thoughts and prayers to you and your family.
Warmest Regards,
Gene Fiese
Dear Lunte Family,
I am so very sorry to hear of Craig’s passing. Craig was a great leader for the APQ Section of AAPS and I enjoyed getting to know him during all the meetings. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.
Sue,
We are so very sorry to hear about Craig. He was truly a great man. You and Craig always treated me and Maggie like family and that will never be forgotten. Our prayers are with you and your family.
Phil and Maggie Livanec
Sue, Alyson & Kathryn,
Our deepest condolences for your loss. We will be thinking of your family as you move through this very difficult time.
Jolisa & Don Buchner
Sue,
Please accept my condolences – there aren’t words to say how sad this is. I will miss Craig. He was smart about a lot of things and I learned a lot from him about how to think about the big picture.
Steve
Dear Sue,
I am so sorry to hear about Craig. He was a great person and very kind to me. We had several great conversations about Analytical Chemistry and how to teach 1st year grad students through the years. You and your daughters are in our prayers.
God Bless,
Chris
Sue,
I heard from Iffaaz a while ago about the sad new of Craig’s passing. I am still in shock and disbelief. Please accept my heart felt sympathies and condolence. He will be really missed.
Sanaullah
Sue,
I offer my condolences for this terrible news. I have many fond memories of Craig and will dearly miss him.
With love,
Bob
Sue and family,
We are so sad to hear this news. Craig’s mentorship and friendship fundamentally changed our lives and will always be with us. There are many conversations that I had with him that helped establish and refine my personal and professional directions that I will always remember and be grateful for. As a professional with the highest standards he led the way in many areas of chemistry and as a person I could tell that his compassion and leadership in how to be a mentor, researcher, father and person were invaluable. He will be greatly missed.
Dear Sue, Alyson and Kathryn,
We are so sorry for your loss and wanted to express our sincere condolences and deep sorrow.
Words cannot describe what it means to lose a loved one, and of course there are no words that can alleviate the pain, but you should know that our thoughts are with you.
Craig was an Inspiration and a great model for what it means to be a scholar, a teacher, a leader and always first and foremost an amazing human being.
He will be missed sorely and remembered fondly.
We always thought of the Lunte’s as the family we aspire to be.
Dear Sue,
I was shocked and saddened to hear of Craig’s passing. How tragic. You have my deepest sympathies in this time of great loss.
Bill Staples
Sue-
Heather and I send our deepest sympathies to you, Alyson and Katherine.
As my mentor, I will always be grateful for his guidance, patience, and teachings that have so greatly influenced my life and career. I often think of him when I am working in my lab, and every 4th of July.
I have so many fond memories of working with Craig during my years at KU, and I will deeply miss him.
Ryan
Dear Sue,
My heartfelt condolences to you and your family. I was shocked and saddened to hear of Craig’s passing. You are in my prayers and thoughts.
With deepest sympathies,
Tom
Sue and girls, My thoughts are with you-obviously this is not easy-Joe
Sue,
My thoughts are with you at this difficult time. Craig was such a lively, fun, and ingenious member of the analytical (especially microdialysis!) community. I have many fond memories of discussing science and other topics with him. It is a great loss.
Sincerely,
Bob
Sue
My deepest condolences to you and your family.
Chuck
Dear Sue and Family,
We were shocked and saddened to hear of Craig’s death. Craig was instrumental to bringing us to KU, and we both learned so much from him. We will always remember Craig’s high standards in research, creativity, quick wit, and compassion. We hope you find comfort in the many friends, family, and fond memories of Craig.
Sue,
my sincere condolences! I have met Craig only a few times, but I still have very fond memories of chatting with him during a reception at an ALA meeting in San Jose, quite a few years ago now!
-Jörg
Dear Sue,
I was so sorry to learn of Craig’s passing. I enjoyed working with Craig and admired his integrity on the job. My thoughts go out to you and your family.
With deepest sympathy,
Bill Sharp
Sue-
I am so sorry to learn that Craig passed away so suddenly. Craig was a fine scientist and a great colleague. My heartfelt condolences to you and your children.
-Kathy Suprenant
Sue,
My heartfelt condolences to you and the girls. I was so sorry to hear this news. You will all be in my thoughts and wishes.
With Sympathies,
Nik Chetwyn
Sue Lunte…this is just the saddest of news! He was such a terrific guy. My condolences to you and your girls. It makes me a little less sad to think that he and Buzz are together again.
Sue – My thoughts and prayers are with you and the girls. Craig was such a great scientist, and wonderful person. He will be missed by many.
Deepest sympathies,
Dannette
My prayers are with all of the Lunte family at this time. I learned when my husband of 49 years died suddenly of a heart attack how uncertain life is.
I worked with Craig in the Chemistry Dept. at KU and he was a wonderful person. He will be truly missed by all.
I will be out of state on Friday but my thoughts and prayers will be with you all.
Sue,
I am so sorry to learn about the sad news. He was an example in the field of analytical chemistry and will be missed deeply. I certainly hope you and your family find comfort in all the great moments you had together and the accomplishments he provided for the rest of the world.
Sue – I am so very sorry to hear about Craig. He was a leader and a friend, and will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your daughters.
– Lou Coury
Dear Sue,
I’m so heartbroken about Craig, please know first and foremost that my thoughts and prayers and those of Sandy are with you, Alyson and Kathryn. As you know, Craig the first person with whom I aver published a paper, and even while he was a postdoc at UC he had already developed into an incredible mentor. He took me under his wing as I was a naive first year grad student, and served as a wonderful mentor throughout my early career. He reached out to my students at Furman, and always made an effort to help me professionally in every way he could. Most importantly, though, I was blessed to count Craig as my friend. There were a lot of Reds baseball games, cookouts, and other activities we have shared that I will treasure the rest of my life. I will miss his brilliance and his passion for science for sure, but most especially his kind and generous heart.
With deepest sympathies,
John (and Sandy) Wheeler
Sue, Alyson and Kathryn,
So sorry to hear about Craig. He was a good man and it has been a real blessing to count him among my friends.
Sending all of you my prayers and best wishes. Please let me know if I can do anything for you.
Best,
Pete
Dear Sue,
We are so sorry to hear about Craig. You and the girls are in our thoughts and prayers. Craig was a wonderful person and so kind to others. He will be missed! We fondly remember all of those days of softball and other activities when we all joined KU.
Blessings,
Greg and Cindy Swain
Dear Sue, Alyson and Katherine
I am heart broken to hear about Craig. I am so sorry for the wonderful husband and father you have lost. I have very few true friends in my life and I regard Craig as one of these. He was one of the kindest, caring guys I have ever known; fun to be with and really giving of himself to others. The times I have spent with him have been some of the best in my life. It was always great to have Craig around in Ireland. I remember him visiting us when Kate was a baby and him nursing her.
When we visited you in Lawrence and Craig gave us the little wagon in which to push Kate around as we had left our buggy at the airport. His love of cooking and caring for people through hospitality was renowned.
He also visited us in Malmesbury and Kate and Alaina loved playing with uncle Craig. I will send you on all our photos of him to remind you of how much he was loved by everyone and how much he loved in return. Even just two weeks ago when he visited me in Bristol, it was great to see him again. We had a great time. we visited the SS Great Britain and had a tour around Bristol. Things were always easy in his company. It is at least something that I got to see him shortly before he left us.
My prayers are with him and you at this time. He left a real legacy of love and friendship behind him.
All my love
Tony
Dear Sue,
Please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss. Our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
Our hearts go out to you in your time of sorrow. Craig was a good man and was helping everyone. I still remember our 2 groups’ (Sue and Craig) camping trip to Colorado.
Please don’t hesitate to call us if you need any help or support at this time.
Iffaaz and Ferial
Iffaaz and Ferial.
Sue, I am so sorry for your familys loss you are in my prays.
Mike Shapiro
Sue, we are so sorry to hear about Craig. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the girls at this time.
Chandrani & Gamini
Sue, Alyson, and Kathryn,
We are so sorry to hear about Craig. He was a good person and a true example for others to follow personally and professionally. Always remember the many great things about him!
God Bless,
Ron & Becky Ragan