Ralph Anderegg

Ralph Frank Anderegg Jr. was the ultimate family man. A warm and caring husband and a doting father and grandfather, he recognized the importance of family and made it the focus of his life. 1925 was a record-breaking year, and one that marked several defining moments in U.S. History. In Wyoming, Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman governor, Tennessee schoolteacher John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching the theory of evolution, forbidden by state law, leading to the famous Scopes Trial, and Ben-Hur, costing a record-setting $3.95 million to produce, was released. Amidst these historical happenings, in Muskegon, Michigan, Ralph Anderegg Sr. and Esther (Johnson) Anderegg were celebrating a special event in their own lives. On March 15, they welcomed their first son, Ralph Frank Anderegg Jr. The Anderegg family resided in Fruitport Township, where Ralph Sr. ran the warehouse for the Vandervelde Furniture Store, and Esther worked at the Norge Plant and volunteered at their local Goodwill. Ralph had a wonderful childhood, and spent most of his time with his younger brother Paul, with whom he was very close. Ralph loved sports, especially baseball, and the boys spent countless hours perfecting their swings and playing catch. Though Ralph was a smaller kid, he was fast, which worked to his advantage when it came to flying around the bases and scoring runs. During the summers, Ralph earned extra money working on the farm, and even picked pickles one summer so he could buy a tennis racket. He also spent time with his family, and looked forward to the vacations they took to Ohio to visit relatives. Faith was an important part of their family life as well, and the boys attended Samuel Lutheran Church from the time they were small. At Muskegon Heights High School, Ralph continued to pursue sports and also played trombone in the band. After graduation he enlisted in the Navy, where he served as a cook on a supply ship in the South Pacific. Upon returning to Michigan, he decided to take some classes at Muskegon Business College. Though Ralph was busy with his courses, his good friends Bill and Alice Mingle convinced him to go on a blind date with Lois Iverson, who was just a few years younger than Ralph. That first date was all it took-they fell deeply in love and were married at Samuel Lutheran church on August 9, 1947. They settled easily into married life, and welcomed two sons, Paul, in 1950, and Ron, in 1952. The family briefly moved to Cedar Springs, where Ralph managed a small grocery store, before returning to Muskegon. There on Center Street in East Muskegon they built their life long home. The house was warm and inviting, just like the family that Ralph and Lois had created, and they would spend many happy years there. While Lois found work as a secretary for the Orchard View School district, Ralph worked various jobs, and even spent a short time driving a potato chip delivery truck before landing a sales position with Kraft Foods. It was a good fit, and over the next 31 years of his employment, he took on several roles, acting as a key account manager and manager of the Viking Foods Warehouse. Ralph was a true family man and devoted his time to Lois and the boys, and felt blessed to have such a close-knit family. He was offered a promotion at work on more than one occasion, but it would have required moving and so he chose to stay in Muskegon for the family. Ralph spent time with boys playing catch, just as he had done with his brother and as soon as they were old enough, they started playing Little League Baseball and PeeWee Football. Ralph coached their teams for many years. He was a great coach, working the kids hard, but he was fair and almost always produced winning teams. When the boys were in high school, Ralph acted as a referee for the baseball and football games, which he continued to do for nearly 20 years. Ralph and Lois were also very busy with their social engagements. They were members of the Vikings and the Mona Lake Boat Club, where they spent many nights dancing and laughing with friends. They also had a great group of couples they went out with regularly, and even embarked on some memorable vacations with them, traveling to Florida, Las Vegas and California. They were also faithful members at Samuel Lutheran and the boys went through confirmation there. After the boys were grown and had children of their own, they became doting grandparents, and loved to spend as much time with them as possible. In addition to the house on Center Street, the Anderegg family found property on Ford Lake in Fountain Michigan and placed a trailer there. Many happy times were spent there, especially when they were cruising around the lake in their pontoon boat. The Anderegg family faced hard times when Lois was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had several bouts with it, but always remained strong and optimistic, and fought the disease very hard. Ralph was a wonderful caretaker and never left her side through it all. She finally lost her battle and died in January of 1993. It was an overwhelming loss for Ralph, and he turned to friends and family for support. Ralph began spending time with an old family friend, Lowana Hack, a widow, who he had known for many years. Her friendship was a great comfort to him, and over time it turned into a companionship. After losing Lois, he felt blessed to find another special woman to share the next stage of his life with, and they were married in October of 1994. Ralph sold the house on Center Street and moved in to Lowanas house and they spent their time socializing with good friends, and traveling, even taking a cruise to Alaska. Ron bought the adjoining property at Ford Lake where Ralph and Ron built a beautiful home. Ralph loved spending time at the lake with Ron, and became good buddies with the neighbors. Unfortunately, the years started taking their toll on Ralph, and he was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. Lowana took wonderful care of him, along with help from Ron and Frankies family and her granddaughter Amy. Even when his body began to fail, he never lost his spirit or sharp wit. After having knee surgery, caring for Ralph became too much for Lowana, and he moved in first with Ron, and eventually into assisted living at Seminole Shores for these last two months. His last days were spent surrounded by his family enjoying Thanksgiving. Ralph Frank Anderegg Jr. was a warm and welcoming man who placed his family first. He will be remembered as a hard worker, a family man, and someone who truly made the most of the days he was given. Mr. Ralph F. Anderegg, Jr., age 83, died Sunday, November 30, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Lowana; 2 sons, Paul (Jane) Anderegg of Roswell, GA, Ron (Frankie) Anderegg of Spring Lake; 4 grandchildren, Mark (Angela) Anderegg, Jeff Anderegg, Kristy (Erik) Richardson, Nikki Anderegg; great grandson, Kaden Richardson; brother, Paul (Mickey) Anderegg. Services for Ralph will be on Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 11:00 AM at Samuel Lutheran Church with Rev. Phillip Nordstrand officiating. There will be a time of visitation on Tuesday, 6-8 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. MEMORIAL: Muskegon Rescue Mission or Muskegon Vikings.