Arnold G. Albrecht

Lifelong St. Joseph resident Arnold Gottlieb Albrecht, 84, died April 14, 2003 at home in the loving comfort of close family. Arnie was born near Silver Beach on Jan. 25, 1919. He graduated from St. Joe High School in 1938, the first in his family of six kids to do so. He married Hazel Louise Epley on Jan. 31, 1943, and celebrated 60 years of marriage this year. A child of the beach, Arnie earned income as a boy, for his family as a caddy at the St. Joseph Country Club (which fueled his later love for watching Tiger Woods). He also set bowling pins by hand at the Elks Temple Bowling Alley and at the Silver Beach amusement park. Arnie was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church and a devoted Christian. A decorated World War II veteran (Bronze Star), Albrecht served four-and-a-half years with the 3rd Army, 99th Infantry Division as an interrogator, processing some 70,000 prisoners of war in Europe. He loved language and became an accomplished writer, first of letters (including one to his beloved wife, Hazel written on a 200-foot roll of adding machine paper), then as part of the Whitcomb Creative Writing Group. In 1993, he published a memoir of his experiences during the war. Arnie was always active with his family Boy and Girl Scouting, Cub League Softball, camping, hiking, fishing, sports and musical activities. Growing up on Silver Beach, he treasured his time with family being a beach rabbit, hunting for Indian beads and building elaborate sand castles. He collected coins and stamps, and enjoyed volunteer activities such as counting money at Trinity Church, and giving rides to patrons at Lakeland Medical Center. He took pleasure in listening to opera arias while cracking and picking walnuts, or spitting kindling wood, at his garage work bench. When not working for Canteen Corporation, he devotedly tended to his family and to the bright red geraniums in the flower box at his house. He loved to talk to people wherever he went. Arnie frequently took three hours for coffee-and-donut breakfasts with friends. Surviving Arnie, in addition to his wife, Hazel Louise (Epley), are four loving children: Carol (Ron) LoPresti of Holland, Tom (Betsy) Albrecht of Stevensville, Don (Lois) Albrecht of Bayfield, Wis., and Suzanne (Doug) Snyder of Berrien Springs; eight grandchildren — Scott Morris of Benton Harbor, Darren Albrecht of Coloma, Darcy (Jim) Ashmead of St. Joseph, Nick (Alison) LoPresti of Grand Rapids, Jennifer Albrecht of St. Paul, Minn., Deeann (Clayton) Closson of St. Joseph, Bryce Albrecht of Milwaukee, and Tony Anderson of Benton Harbor; four great grandchildren — Alec and Colin Closson, and Elizabeth and Jenna Ashmead; one brother, Alfred (Irene) Albrecht of St. Joseph; and one sister, Edna (Milton) Rudnick of Middlebury, Vt. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alvina and Gottlieb, one brother Albert (Lou), and two sisters, Lydia (Harold) Haynes, and Alma (Frank) Runge. Visitation will be held from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. A Celebration of Life Service, including military rites will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home, followed by burial in Spring Grove Cemetery in Bloomingdale, Mich. A reception will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, St. Joseph, following the committal service. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice at Home along with Trinity Lutheran Church. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guestbook online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com.