Marie Louise Pangman

Petite Marie met serious health challenges over the decades like a heavyweight champ. In

Marie’s corner were her devoted husband of 60 years Bob Pangman, daughter Ellen (Bob)

Venable of Mequon, WI, and grandchildren Kelly, John, and Will Venable. Marie’s fans include

brothers Victor (Kathleen) Engelhardt of Sebewaing, MI and Floyd (Judy) Engelhardt of Le

Sueur, MN, and many nieces and nephews. Marie was predeceased by her precious daughter

Kristin, her parents, and sister-in-law Lois (Pangman) Wood.

Marie never let unrelenting illness diminish her spirit or faith, and she became an inspiration

and role model to all she met. When friends and family learned that Marie’s time was short, an

outpouring of phone calls, visits, and an inbox filled with humbling messages exemplified the

impact she had on others. While it was physically difficult for her to verbalize appreciation,

Marie gratefully received these amazing gifts of love. This outpouring of support was the

greatest going away gift for Marie and touched her family beyond words.

While Marie’s health may have been Job One in recent years, she preferred to focus on the

volunteer, artistic, and homemaking endeavors that gave her joy. Marie was an active church

volunteer and a founding member of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Haslett. Her religious and

artistic passions intersected beautifully during decades of service on sanctuary-related

committees, and until just recently her flower arranging beautified church décor. For years

Marie delivered Meals on Wheels, and her hospitality went above-and-beyond in hosting

people who needed a place to stay for a time. It takes two hands to count the individuals who

called her house “home” for months or years.

Marie’s talents took her in many artistic directions, including macramé, painting, and cake

decorating. She was an adventuresome cook and somehow managed to preserve all the

produce desired from Bob’s prolific garden. Marie and Bob loved to travel, and she never met a

card game that she wouldn’t happily try to win. She collected ceramic pottery, and enjoyed

attending plays and musical events to the end. Nothing gave Marie more joy than her two

daughters and three grandchildren, and she left an indelible print on them all.

Marie was born on the family farm near Sebewaing, MI on April 30, 1937 to Ernst and Gertrude

(Schmidt) Engelhardt. She attended Immanuel Lutheran School through the eighth grade and

graduated from Sebewaing High School in 1955. She met future husband Bob of Harbor Beach,

MI at the Huron County Fair in 1950 when she was in the eighth grade. They dated in high

school and were engaged while attending Michigan State University. After earning an associate

degree in business and sewing her own wedding dress, Marie and Bob were married on July 6,

1957 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sebewaing and made their home there for over eight

years. She worked as an administrative assistant and bank cashier until 1964 when she turned

her attention to motherhood, and the family moved to Okemos in 1966. Marie and Bob

celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in July 2017.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 13 at 11 am at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 5589

Van Atta Rd, Haslett. Visitation will be held at the church beginning at 9 am. Interment will be

in Glendale Cemetery in Okemos at 2:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, those desiring to remember Marie are encouraged to consider memorials to

St. Luke Lutheran Church or to the City Rescue Mission of Lansing.

The family is grateful to the many dedicated health care professionals who have cared for Marie over the years, and to the McLaren Hospice nurses and chaplain who gently guided Marie’s final journey.

The family is being served by Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Homes in East Lansing.

Online condolences may be made at www.greastlansing.com.