Lawrence "Larry" John Lange

Larry J. Lange was called home to his Lord and fellow saints on May 28, 2007. He died peacefully in his home in the company of his loving family. Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated on Friday, June 1st at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church with a Rosary and Wake service held Thursday, May 31st at 7:00 p.m. at the church. Eucharistic Adoration will follow the wake service. Larry was born to Pauline (Minette) and H. J. Lange on May 25, 1917. He was one of 9 boys and 2 girls. He received his primary education in Morris Township #2 and graduated from Webster High School in 1934 as part of Webster’s largest graduating class. After 2 years at the NDSU Ag College, he returned to help out at the family farm in Webster until being drafted into the Army in 1942. Following three years in the military, he entered law school at UND and graduated in 1949. He married Gertrude Linneman on June 16, 1948 in Reynolds, ND. Larry had a variety of careers, serving at Bismarck State Capital as Deputy Estate Tax Commissioner for 2 years, selling investments, farming and working as a field director for ASCS for 7 years. In 1967, he opened a private law practice that he operated from his home overlooking Devils Lake. Larry was a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church for 28 years. He belonged to a number of organizations and held leadership positions in many, including: Odd Fellows, Legion of Mary, Lake Region Curling Club, Knights of Columbus and District 15 DNPL, to name a few. He was active in a number of peace organizations including Pax Christy USA, Witness for Peace and the ND Peace Coalition. He is a past winner of the ND Prairie Peacemakers annual award. Through his hobby nursery, Larry hand-planted thousands of trees across the state of North Dakota – including a ½ mile of trees near Lakota. He was involved in the Devils Lake Curling Club since its founding, actively curling until the age of 88. Larry was a man of peace, a gentle and generous man, but had the spirit of a warrior when it came to issues of peace and justice for his fellow man. He was a prolific fund raiser for just causes such as Fr. Jack Davis, Crop Walk International, St. Joseph’s building projects and the Lake Region Curling Club. He is survived by Gertrude “Lindy” Lange, his wife of 58 years, his 10 children: Kate (David) McKibben, Anacortes, WA; Louise (Rich) Dwyer, Eugene, OR; Greg (Laurie) Lange, Hazen, ND; Mark (Nancy) Lange, Devils Lake; Mary (Tim) Campbell, Colorado Springs, CO; Julie (Tom) Schuster, Minneapolis, MN; Tim Lange (Special Friend, Kathy) Phoenix, AZ; Mike (Jill) Lange, Edwards, CO; Michelle (Adam) Lange-Pearson, Rochester, MN; and Jennifer (Tim) Olson, Fargo, ND. 25 Grandchildren 9 Great Grandchildren He is also survived by brothers, Norbert, Donald, Ralph, Gerry, Hank and Dewey; sisters, Joan and Judy. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Mary Margaret and LaVonne; brothers, Edmund and John; one great grandchild, Kaia. Memorials will be directed to Larry and Lindy’s favorite charities.