James Wendell Lotz. Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away on June 19, 2026, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. Son of James Wendell Lotz, DDS, and Marian Stearns Lotz, Wendell was born on December 18, 1944, in Yonkers, NY, and spent his formative years in Hartville, OH. He moved to the Nashville area in 1995 to join the Ingram Content Group where he served as Vice President, Metadata until his retirement in 2016, happily embracing Middle Tennessee as his home for over thirty years.

Wendell was the valedictorian of his graduating class at Lake High School in Stark County, Ohio. He completed an undergraduate degree at Heidelberg College, and graduate degrees at Ohio State University and Western Michigan University. From his early school years on, he was an avid sportsman, playing golf and baseball and enjoying running, biking, and swimming, including at competitive triathlon and other events, while also coordinating a local bowling team.

He had a long and rewarding career developing publishing industry standards, and he met Rebecca, his wife of 41 years, at a Book Expo America (BEA) conference in Los Angeles. The world of books and information was a shared passion for Wendell and Rebecca throughout their lives together.

Wendell, affectionately called the “Information Czar” by his colleagues, was a leader in coordinating development of the standards infrastructure for electronic commerce in the book, e-book, audiobook and serials sectors throughout North America and the world. He traveled extensively to share his knowledge including to international locations such as Russia, China, Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. He chaired several Book Industry Study Group (BISG) committees and councils, sat on the BISG Executive Board, and served as the Vice Chair of the International EDitEUR, as well as contributing to the International Steering Committee for Onix, a leading data, cloud and AI solutions provider. He was accorded many accolades and honors including the BISG Lifetime Achievement Award, conferred to an individual for a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the publishing industry.

Above all else, nothing was more important to Wendell than his family and he was a devoted and loving husband and father. He is survived by his wife Rebecca James and three children; Heather Elfrink (Bill), Robyn Deterling (Mike), Matthew James Lotz; two grandchildren Dylan Edinger, and Jackson Edinger; sister Christine Braden (John), brother Greg Lotz, plus many cousins, nieces, nephews.

A funeral service will be held at Brentwood United Methodist Church in Brentwood, TN, on July 20 with a time of visitation at 10:00 AM, followed by a church service at 11:00 AM.

The family welcomes donations in Wendell’s name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Wendell’s unfailingly kind and generous heart brought joy, inspiration and support to so many. He will be greatly missed.