Lorne Lange

LORNE C. LANGE

Garnavillo

Lorne Carlton Lange, 79, of Rockford, Ill., born March 7, 1940, in rural Garnavillo, Iowa, passed away Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, at Presence Cor Mariae Center in Rockford.

He was the son of Kathryn (Kregel) and Ray David Lange. During high school,

Lorne was an active member of the FFA (Future Farmers of America) and played

the clarinet in the high school band. He graduated from Garnavillo High School in 1958 and began farming with his dad on the family's farm near Garnavillo, where he continued to farm until retiring in the mid-1990s.

Lorne loved music and singing. He traveled with Farm Bureau tours to destinations like Hawaii and Tahiti. After retiring, he enjoyed attending the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion every year. In 1997, he went on a trip with his son, Troy, to visit a family friend in Alaska. While there, they traveled to Kodiak Island and even took a rafting trip near Denali National Park. In 2009, he moved to Rockford to be closer to his family. Lorne was a resident at both Anam Care (Rockford) and for the last eight years was living at Presence Cor Mariae Center, also in Rockford.

He enjoyed spending the time with his children and grandchildren and loved every visit with them. He also enjoyed meeting and visiting with the residents and staff he met during his years in Rockford.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Cor Maraie Center for offering such a wonderful place for our dad during his last years. Also, a special thanks goes out to Northern Illinois Hospice for helping to give him a loving and caring environment in his last months.

Lorne was a kind and generous man and helped others before himself. He touched many lives and will be missed by many.

Survivors include his children, Troy (Heidi) Lange, Rockford, Ill., and Tracy (Chris) Schmidt, Rockton, Ill.; two granddaughters, Kayla and Haiyla; three grandsons, Austin, Zander and Tristan; and one great-grandson, Hunter.

He was preceded in death by his parents and former wife, Merry Baker, the mother of his children.

Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13, in the chapel at Presence Cor Mariae Center, 3330 Maria Linden Dr., Rockford, IL 61114. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until time of service. Burial service at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at Garnavillo Cemetery.

To share a memory or express condolences, visit www.honquestfh.com.