Luther Ellis Justis, Jr., "Bunk", age 83, of Baltimore Maryland passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 13, 2022, in Cockeysville. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Susan Otter Justis.  Bunk was the devoted son of the late Regina Savina (nee Shipley) and Luther Ellis Justis, Sr.

He is also survived by his sister, Patricia Hall in Florida; his three loving daughters, Michele Shara and her husband Don in Texas, Valerie Delahouliere and her husband Christian in France, and Jill Justis-Tewey and her husband Rob in Maryland; his six grandchildren Megan, Amanda, Clara, Madison, Thomas and Benjamin; and his five great-grandchildren Joshua, Lexi, Londyn, Layla, and Logan. He is also survived by many other dear relatives. Bunk was preceded in death by his two sisters, Regina "Jeanne" McNeill and Wanda "Bonnie" Olshefski.

Bunk worked a total of 42 years, at Baltimore Gas & Electric, starting as a mail boy and finishing as a distinguished corporate attorney. He was a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic Church and was an active member of the St. Louis Parish in Clarksville, Maryland. He was a volunteer coach and commissioner in the Howard County Recreation & Parks softball program for more than 15 years.

He will be missed by his many loving relatives and dear friends. May his memory be a blessing by all who knew him.

A private service was held at St Louis Church on October 20. Bunk is buried at Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, please remember Bunk with memorial contributions to the Catholic Charities of Baltimore or to the Alzheimer's Association .

Ode to Bunk, our Dad :

Dear Dad, you led your life with integrity, principle, and generosity and this despite a challenging start in life. Your mom raised you and your three sisters on her own. What was lacking in material comforts was largely compensated with love, faith, good humor, a bit of mischief and a lot of fun.  This is where your own faith, sense of family and community were born. You mom brought you all into the Church and gave you a Catholic education. Your service as an altar boy at the Monastery was the subject of many stories as was your start at Mount St. Joe's and unexpected change to Baltimore City College. You married your high school sweetheart and founded a young family together. In turn, you shared your own faith, bringing your three girls into the Church.

Yes, that sums up quite a bit: 3 sisters and 3 daughters!

Supporting your family and getting through night school – for 11 years – was no easy feat. It took solid teamwork, dedication, grit, and determination! Dad, that young man, who started as a mail boy at BG&E, was admitted to the Bar in December, 1970! What an achievement and certainly, what a relief! Your career was long and fruitful with many a story on difficult contracts and almost impossible cases, most of which you successfully settled or won. You were prideful that the unions were kept at bay! Your work ethic, sense of duty and dedication shined.

You have always been there for your family and friends! You guided your girls, set the example and did the right thing. You made sure that you were available, open, and listening to your girls, checking in with our teachers, teaching us how to ride a bike and then to drive, attending games, coaching us in sports, giving us your love of food & teaching us how to cook, meeting our friends, picking us up from parties, cooking Sunday breakfast & fixin Sunday dinner, baking Christmas cookies, and cracking the silliest of jokes to remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. The list is long.

You were a constant source of encouragement and motivation. You showed us how to take responsibility for our decisions and actions. We knew we could share our wins as well as our losses! In times of trouble, you would reassure and comfort us with the warmest and tightest hug possible – and then you would put us back on track. You taught us to focus on the path and the goal – not the obstacles! Your unconditional love, support and belief in us is all we could ever wish for from a father. This was the reflection of your steady faith in God and the Church.

You engaged with your community at every opportunity and contributed greatly. Here at St. Louis, you worked with Sister Mary Catherine and Monsignor Sauerwein to bring the school and Parish closer together. You just couldn't hide your love for sports and the kids, so you volunteered to coach the St Louis basketball team. But you didn't stop there! You went on to volunteer for more than 15 years at the Howard Country Recreation & Parks, coaching softball and becoming softball commissioner. Getting the kids in the game was your thing. Again, you distinguished yourself.

Your team went to numerous national championships and along the way, you became a father figure to several. Your firm, friendly, and fair manner inspired and helped many. You spread your core values on work ethic, setting goals, teamwork, and handling adversity. Your sense of humor and those corny jokes helped pass the right message, the right way, with kindness.

And then there are the grandkids! What fun memories you created with them! A bit of wrestling, some tickling, and a bunch of silliness goes a long way! Playing ball, rough-housing in the pool, hitting the waves at the beach and a million other things.

We know you had a tough time these past years. Losing your vision was extremely difficult and must have caused much anxiety and frustration. Your heart wasn't always good to you either! Despite this, you kept your sense of humor and positive attitude. You saw your reasoning abilities progressively decline, and that too, must have caused much worry.  Again, despite this, we felt your great love come through and you still managed to keep your sense of humor intact!

Dad, you have made us proud. You taught us to cherish all things in life and to love. You knew who you were, a child of God.

Whatever we say today will not do you JUSTIS. And with a quick wink, we know that will make you chuckle a bit!