Herman Lohse Obituary

Herman A. Lohse, Jr., 76, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather was called home to be with the Lord and his wife in paradise on August 19, 2006 after a short illness. Born on June 10, 1930 in Salina, KS, Herman was the son of Herman A. Lohse, Sr. and Mae Williams Lohse. Mr. Lohse moved to Colorado Springs in 1949 from Fairbury, NE to start a new life with his wife and new daughter, Christine. When he came to Colorado Springs he found a job carrying hod for $.90 an hour to support his family. Mr. Lohse became an apprentice plumber and at age 21 obtained his master plumber's license so as to go into business for himself. He started Herman's Plumbing and Heating in 1950 on Mill Street. The business expanded with Mr. Lohse's father and brothers, and then he split off to specialize in mechanical contracting. He then started Herman's Mechanical Contracting which eventually became Contract Mechanical Service. Mr. Lohse was always willing to teach and give an opportunity to many of the men and women he employed through the 50 plus years of his business. He demonstrated a dedication to the work he loved. Herman made sure that his family was well taken care of, which extended to his parents, in-laws, and siblings. He had the gift of giving. Herman will be missed by his children and grandchildren. Herman is survived by his four children, Christine (Gary) Nelson; Herman A. (Debbie) Lohse, III; Paula (Jeff) Payne; Shelley (Mark) Wiens; 10 grandchildren; 2 step-grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren which were the flames that kept him burning. Herman is preceded in death by his wife, Joyce E. Lohse, his parents, and is also survived by his siblings Roger, Robert, Dorothy Sutherland, Jack and a large extended family. Special thanks go to Donna Goodrich who has most definitely been a part of our family for many years. A visitation will be Friday, August 25, 2006 from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Swan-Law Funeral Home. A Celebration of Herman's life will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2006 at 11:00 A.M., at the Memorial Gardens Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer's Association (Rocky Mountain Chapter) 2930 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80917 in Memory of Joyce E. Lohse.