65485_Alvin P._Lass
HAMPTON, Va. — Alvin P. Lass passed away on June 6, 2013. Born in Garner, Iowa, on June 9, 1918, he had been a resident of Hampton, Va., since 1961.
On Sept. 9, 1942, he married his loving wife, Rita M Lorenz, in Duncan, Iowa. She preceded him in death after 55 years of marriage. Also predeceasing him were his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John (Freda Merkle) Lass, and his sister, Mrs. Betty Lands, all of Mason City, Iowa.
He is survived by his four children: Rodney Lass and his wife, Julia, of Center, Mo., Diane Kirchner and her husband, Richard, of Harvard, Ill., Donna Carter and her husband, Julian Padowicz, of Stamford, Conn., and Debra Lass of New York, N.Y. Also surviving are 14 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren; and many dear nieces and nephews.
He was a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Parish, the Knights of Columbus, the VFW, the American Legion and the BPOE, but his passions were his family and playing piano.
Before enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1941 and serving in the CBI Theater of Operations during World War II, he played piano in a local dance band, Ray’s Silver Moon, which entertained many at local venues around Northern Iowa. After serving his country, he returned to Iowa where he farmed for 15 years before moving to Hampton, Va., where he enjoyed a long career at NASA retiring in 1991.
Having given up playing piano professionally when he began farming, he continued to delight all at the piano during family gatherings and practiced for as long as he could sit at the piano.
The family will receive friends at 9 a.m., Friday, June 14, at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m., followed by entombment in Hampton Veterans Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to St. Rose of Lima Parish, 2114 Bay Ave, Hampton, VA 23661, or Journeycare Hospice (www.journeycare.org), 405 Lake Zurich Rd, Barrington, IL 60010 would be appreciated.
R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, 245 S. Armistead Avenue, Hampton, VA 23669, 757-723-3191
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