Alfred Lange

Alfred Lange, 77, of St. Joseph, passed into eternity on Thursday, July 29, 2010. A Celebration of Life Eternal will be held 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at Peace Lutheran Church, 3590 Lincoln Ave., St. Joseph, with Rev. Franz Brandenburg & Dr. J.O. Hosler officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery, St. Joseph, with graveside military rites conducted by North Berrien Military Rites Team. Friends may call from 5:00 until 8:00 P.M. Monday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Leader Dog for the Blind, the Lions Club Service Foundation, or Peace Lutheran Church. Those wishing to sign Al's Memory Book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Alfred was born July 23, 1933 in Dombrowa-Arciechowska, Poland to Edmund and Leokadia (Pretzlaff) Lange. During World War II, the family had to abandon their farm. After enduring much hardship, they immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1952, settling in Camp Hill, Alabama. As a result of the tragic death of his father, Alfred moved the family to St. Joseph in 1953. Alfred served in the 2729th Air Force Communications Maintenance Group from 1954 to 1962. On November 15, 1957, he married Martha Anderson in San Bernardino, California. He graduated from Lake Michigan College with an Associates of Arts degree in 1965. Throughout the years he was employed by Leco Corp., the Michigan Migrant Opportunity Inc. and the Farm Labor Bureau. In 1992, he retired from the Michigan Employment Security Commission. Alfred's passion was to serve people. He volunteered for many groups including the Human Resource Commission, Volunteers in Probation, the Berrien County Court Community Garden, the American Red Cross, the Blossomland Kiddie Parade and the Michigan State Experimental Station. Alfred was a member of the Lions Club for 45 years, serving in many different positions at the local and state level. He was a charter member of Peace Lutheran Church in St. Joseph. His personal interests included the propagation of plants and racing pigeons. Alfred's family includes his wife Martha; his son Dr. Paul (Renee) Lange and children, Taylor and Madison of Portage, MI; his daughter, Ellen (Marc) Baron and children, Benjamin and Nathan of Livonia, MI; his sisters Martha (Harry) Schulz; Waltraud (Marvin) Brown; and sister-in-law, Hilde Lange; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Maria Rose, his parents, Edmund and Leokadia Lange, his brothers, Sigmund, Richard and Bruno Lange and sisters Ella Lange and Lucia Osmond.