Lorance, Luther M. | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Luther Mohler Lorance was born on February 5, 1897 in Honey Creek, Illinois to Minnie Alice Marbry (1873-1958) and Charles C. Lorance (1867-1956), a farmer. Lorance served as an Ensign (ENS) in the U.S. Navy during World War I and worked as a teacher at a common school upon his return.

In 1926, Lorance earned an MD from the University of Illinois and worked as a physician in Chicago by 1930; he opened his own private practice by 1940. Lorance served as a physician and surgeon in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps during World War II, having enlisted at the rank of captain in May 1942. He was discharged in February 1946.

Lorance married Mary Gladys Tew (1899-1978) on June 26, 1923 in Hope Valley, RI. The couple had two children. Lorance died on November 14, 1984 in Chicago and is buried in Chapel Hill Gardens South in Oak Lawn, IL.

“157 Seniors Get Degrees with Honors.” Daily Illini, June 15, 1927. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=DIL19270615.2.138.

Find a Grave. “Luther M. Lorance.” Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/286824736/luther-m-lorance.

“Luther M Lorance.” U.S., Navy and Marine Corps Registries, 1814-1992. Navy Department Library–Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C. Ancestry.com.

“Luther M Lorance.” World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration), For the State of Illinois. Records of the Selective Service System, RG 147. National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.

Population Schedule for Chicago City, Illinois. ED 16-758, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, NAID 236690040. Records of the Bureau of the Census, RG 29. National Archives, Washington, DC.

Population Schedule for Honey Creek Township, Illinois. ED 27, Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Records of the Bureau of the Census, RG 29. National Archives, Washington, DC.