By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com
Over the decades Bluffton residents lift up several memorable individuals to a sacred list known as “Bluffton characters.” One of those special people was Lazarus “Lotzy” Basinger, (also known as Santa Claus) a familiar face in the Bluffton crowd over his 90-year life span.
These special people each developed a niche of their own calling, earning respect from the common citizen. Their traits and stories are recalled by many, although they are unknown by today’s younger and newer residents.
To us, their contributions to what makes Bluffton such an interesting and accepting community cannot be ignored.
Lazarus was probably one of the last people in Bluffton who experience way of life of the earliest Swiss immigrants. He was raised on his father’s farm near Pandora, Riley Township, Putnam County, Ohio.