Robert Ernest Lotan, 69

Robert Ernest Lotan, 69, of Mussey Township formerly of Ray Township, died Monday, June 3, 2024, in Troy, MI. Robert also went by several nicknames–Bob or Bobby.

He was born November 25, 1954, in Detroit, MI to the late Robert William Lotan and Rita Caroline Syrowik. He was raised in Detroit until the 1960’s when the family moved to Sterling Heights. He married Denise Maksym on May 8, 1981, in Sterling Heights at St. Matthias Catholic Church with Fr. Sirani officiating. They had met through each other’s siblings.

As a youth, he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol (U.S. Air Force Auxiliary) located at Selfridge Air Base in Mt. Clemens, MI. He graduated from Dwight D. Eisenhower High School in 1973. He served in the U.S. Army beginning his career at Fort Knox, KY before being transferred to Fort Dix, NJ for diesel mechanic training. He was later deployed to Mannheim, Germany as a mechanic. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Expert Grenade, and Marksman M16. While in Germany, he was a member of the Mannheim Racing Association.

After the service he worked for several companies: Tru-Wall Construction Co., Inc., Plumbrook Shell, Utica Community Schools – Transportation (20 years), and retiring from Stellantis (fka Chrysler Corporation, Daimler, and FCA Transport) in 2022 as a diesel mechanic (25 years).

He has been awarded The Excellence in Transportation Award from the Macomb County Transportation Director’s Association and 100% The Perfect State Police Bus Inspection, as well as an award for Recognition of Excellence by FCA Transport. He completed numerous training programs over the years related to his career field of diesel mechanics.

He had many passions from agriculture, to construction, to automotive/trucks and welding but family was important to him. He took on many roles including being an Armada Agricultural Society Board Member, 4-H volunteer, and a Hulbert Hauler, while also helping out in his family’s other activities (sports, CYO, 4-H, community service, and animals). He enjoyed being outdoors and seeing deer run thru his yard, as well as loved spending time with his grandchildren. He liked snowmobiling and previously was a member of the Hulbert Haulers. He even liked mowing the lawn, as well as he really liked rock and roll music. He worked hard in building his home and barn in Ray Township with family and friends, but enjoyed it immensely. As the area become more populated, he moved to Mussey Township.

As a left-hander, he always had to be on the side of the table where he wouldn’t hit anyone. A former boss said that he was a good listener, which is probably why he knew so much about everyone that he came in contact with. In addition, he was always trying to help others with physical work, or to lend an ear, or to provide expertise/knowledge. For the guy who didn’t want a cell phone, he was on it quite a lot.

With his family, he had the opportunity to travel with trips to Florida, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Washington DC, Germany, and Poland.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Denise; daughters, Jenna (Donavan) Herzog of Brockway Twp., MI and Kara (John) Plotzke of Richmond, MI. He is also survived by Kelly (Chris) Thomas & Marie Thomas; siblings Keith (Dawn) Lotan, JoAnne Lotan, Cheryl Lotan, Patrick (Sandra) Lotan, and Pamela Krier; brothers-in-law, Mark Maksym and Kevin Maksym; sister-in-law, Linda (Dr. Rex) Mowat; grandchildren, Riley Rose Herzog, Conor Robert Plotzke, Brendan Michael Plotzke, and Charliegh Anne Herzog; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and cousins-in-law. In addition, he is survived by aunts, Gloria Jean (Daniel) Benson and Henrietta Marchant. He is also survived by many friends he has made throughout the years. In addition, he is survived by his dogs, Ginger and Piper.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Ernest Oliver (Betty nee Landry) Lotan, Gladys Smith, Joseph (Anna nee Hallman) Syrowik; parents, Robert William Lotan and Rita Caroline Syrowik; parents-in-law, John (Nancy nee Schemansky) Maksym; brother-in-law, Kurt Krier; niece, Dayna Maksym; several uncles; several aunts; and cousins. His grandfather, Ernest Lotan had owned a gas station in Lum many years ago which Bob liked to reminisce about.

Visitation was held from 1-8 p.m. on Friday June 7. 2024, at Henry M. Malburg Funeral Home, Romeo, MI. Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, Emmett, MI was held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday June 8, 2024, with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. Fr. Tom Kuehnemund officiated. Burial was at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, MI on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Military Honors were conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Army.

His wife extends a special thank you to Dr. Savitha Kadakol’s team at Premier Hematology Oncology Care and the Care Teams at Troy Beaumont Hospital (Corewell Health), as well as a thank you to the family and friends who have been so helpful.