Gertrude 'Sis' Lange, 97, died January 1, 2013 in The Villages, Florida. She was born February 25, 1915 in Owatonna, Minnesota, the second child of Earl and Lora Hance Chadwick who had met in Owatonna and were living in Minneapolis at the time. When Sis was a youngster, the family moved to Winona where her father became the city engineer. Sis attended school in Winona. She was a Girl Scout, enjoyed roller-skating, card and board games, played basketball and served as editor of the school newspaper. The family frequently visited relatives and friends in Owatonna, and every summer Sis spent time in Owatonna where as a youth she met Steve Lange who lived next door to her aunt, Mabel Hanson. After graduating from Winona High School, Sis enrolled in Winona Teachers College, but she was forced to drop out when she contracted smallpox. She then moved to Owatonna to work at the Public Library, and later she worked at Federated Mutual Insurance Company. She married Stephens 'Steve' Lange on November 21, 1936 at the Associated Church in Owatonna. They had three children. Sis and Steve celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary at their residence in Sarasota, Florida in 2011. Steve preceded her in death on April 9, 2012. Sis was an active participant in the Owatonna community. She was involved in the Little Theater, a member of the Owatonna Country Club, Domestic Science Club, the 20th Century Literary Club, and the Associated Church where she sang in the choir. She served as chairman of the United Fund and as president of the Federated Women''s Clubs of Steele County. She was an eight-year member of the Owatonna Public Library Board, and she served on the board of the Steele County Historical Society. She supported her three children''s activities by serving as PTA president and chairman of the AFS finance drive. She was a member of the Girl Scout Council, a troop leader of the Girl Scouts and a den mother for the Boy Scouts. She had a life long interest in politics and was actively involved with all facets of the Independent-Republican party for over forty years. She was elected a Minnesota delegate to the National Convention of the Republican Party in 1976. She served as Steele County chairman, Steele County representative to the State Central Committee, on the state and district by-laws committees, and State Deputy Finance Chairman. Other chairmanships included the Steele County Neighbor to Neighbor program and the VIP program. Sis received an award for 100 hours of tutoring in the Lauback Literacy program. She especially enjoyed tutoring a Vietnamese family. She followed this family through high school and supported several children through college. When the family moved to their new home on the edge of town in 1952, Sis'' modern kitchen was featured in the Minneapolis Star, which also published many of her favorite recipes. She was well regarded by her friends for her creative salad recipes. Sis and Steve were travelers to parts of the world seldom visited by other tourist at that time. Their honeymoon to Havana, Cuba began their many adventures, which later included trips to Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, the Far East, Central Europe, as well as most countries in Western Europe. In 1980, the Langes purchased a winter home in Naples, Florida where they enjoyed the company of many of their Owatonna friends. They moved to Sarasota, FL in 1994 and, in their later years, made their permanent residence there. Throughout her life SIs enjoyed the time she spent doing cross-word puzzles and reading. Even macular degeneration did not dampen her enjoyment. She adjusted to her condition by switching to large print books. She donated her countless books to the library in her place of residence in Florida. Among her other interests were gardening, her adopted pets, bridge, knitting and cheering on the Minnesota Twins, Vikings, and Gophers. Sis and Steve contributed financially to the community, which was a beloved, integral part of their lives. They gave the lead gift to preserve the Morehouse Dam. When the dream of a new Steele County History Center emerged, they quickly stepped forward with a major contribution. They considered it an ideal philanthropic project that would benefit all of Steele County whose land and farmers supplied the vegetable crops the Owatonna Canning Company processed and sold. Sis and Steve were also Major Benefactors of the Mayo Foundation. Sis is survived by her son, Chadwick (Karen) Lange of Owatonna and daughters, Nancy (Dr. Jan) Bergeron of The Villages, FL and Karen (Wayne) Olmsted of Santa Ana, CA. Also surviving are eight grandchildren, Michael 'Skip' Hynek, Dallas, TX, Debbie Roach, Flower Mound TX, Laura (Rick) Wall, Eden Prairie, MN, Roberta (Paul) Lichter, Doylestown, PA, Chadwick S. Lange, Jr. Miami Beach FL, Christopher (Helen) Olmsted, Poway, CA, Matthew (Susi) Olmsted, The Hague, The Netherlands, and Maria (Frank) Seminara, Morristown, NJ. Eighteen great grandchildren also survive. Her husband, Steve, her parents and her brother, Miles Chadwick, preceded Sis in death. Visitation will be at Michaelson Funeral home on Sunday, Jan 20 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held on Monday, January 21 at 10:30 a.m. at Michaelson Funeral Home with the Rev. Julie Malone officiating. Interment will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Owatonna Public Library or the Steele County History Center. Visitation: 01/20/2013 13:00 01/20/2013 15:00 Service: 01/21/2013 10:30