Stephens 'Steve' Joseph Lange, 100, died on April 9, 2012 at his home in Sarasota, FL surrounded by loving family. He was born on June 21, 1911 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the seventh child of Louis Christian and Eliza Barneycote (nee Stephens) Lange. Later in 1911 Stephens moved with the family to Owatonna, Minnesota. His father, who had been involved in the grocery and canning business in Wisconsin, purchased the Owatonna Canning Company (OCCO), previously organized as a co-op. At that time, his family moved into their 224 East Rose Street home which remained a Lange family home until 1963. In 1923, at the age of twelve, Steve began working part-time in the family business after school and during summer vacation. After graduating from Owatonna High School in 1929, he attended the University of Minnesota where he studied business and became a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Steve returned to Owatonna in 1932 and began working full- time for the Owatonna Canning Company. On November 21, 1936 Steve married Gertrude 'Sis' Helen Chadwick from Winona, MN at the Associated Church in Owatonna. They became acquainted during their childhood summers when Sis visited her aunt who lived next door to the Langes. Steve and Sis had three children, Chadwick 'Chad', Nancy, and Karen. Steve and Sis recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. The canning business was a focus of Steve''s life. Steve was a leader in moving the food processing industry from mostly hand labor used in the field and plant to the sophisticated, automatic machine operations of today. During WWII, the canning factory served the war effort by producing dehydrated potatoes for the Allied Forces. Steve was instrumental in bringing production for the Hormel Co. to Owatonna in 1949 beginning a 54-year relationship that allowed the Owatonna plant to employ and operate year-round. At one point, OCCO produced 70 percent of Hormel''s Dinty Moore canned products. Steve served as secretary-treasurer of OCCO for many years. The business expanded with the addition of seasonal corn plants in Kenyon (1941), Dodge Center (1956), Olivia (1965), and Bricelyn (1972). Festal, the company''s leading brand, was the only processed vegetable brand packed under continuous USDA inspection. In 1960 Steve became the president of Owatonna Canning Co. In his tenure, the company added green and wax beans to their line of products that already included peas, corn, pumpkin, and asparagus. At the peak of asparagus production, OCCO was hand harvesting 3500 acres of asparagus. In 1981, when his son, Chad, succeeded his father as president of OCCO, Steve became chairman of the board. Acquisition of a Princeville, IL plant in 1988 added prepared salads to the company''s product line and enabled the company to become the second largest pumpkin packer in the world. Steve retired in 1997 when the companies were sold to Chiquita Brands International. Steve was active in the Minnesota Canners and Freezers Association, serving for two terms as president. He also served on the board of directors of the National Canners Association. Throughout his life, Steve was an active member of the United Methodist Church of Owatonna. During his 17-year tenure on its board of trustees, the new church facility was constructed. Steve was also a director of the Security/Northwestern National Bank of Owatonna for 19 years. He was elected to three terms on the Owatonna School Board, served as its treasurer and served as a director of the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce. In 1962, Steve was selected the Owatonna Jaycees 'Boss of the Year.' Steve was a trustee of the Owatonna Foundation for 45 years, active on its executive committee and serving as chairman of the nominating committee. Steve helped establish the Owatonna Development Corporation that was the impetus for the development of Owatonna''s Industrial Park. He was a member and past president of the Owatonna Country Club and a member of the Minneapolis Athletic Club. Steve was a charter member of the Owatonna Area Shrine Club, a Knights Templar, and a 78-year member of the Owatonna Elks Lodge. In 1952, Steve and Sis built a home for their family on the edge of town. Steve took pleasure in landscaping and grooming the acreage. Steve enjoyed international travel with his wife. His leisure pursuits were swimming, golfing, skiing, fishing and hunting. He was a member of the Geneva Point Club. Steve was interested in state and federal politics and was active in the Republican Party. In his later years, Steve contributed to his beloved community through his philanthropy. He and his wife, Sis, gave the lead gift to preserve the Morehouse Dam because he had fond memories of canoeing, fishing and skating on the river as a youth. When the dream of a new Steele County History Center emerged in the community, Sis and Steve thought it would be an ideal project to support as lead benefactors because it would benefit all of Steele County whose land and farmers supplied the vegetable crops OCCO processed and sold. Sis and Steve were also Major Benefactors of the Mayo Foundation. Steve is survived by Gertrude 'Sis', his wife of 75 years, 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 (Susie) Olmsted, The Hague, Netherlands, and Maria (Frank) Seminara, Morristown, NJ. Eighteen great-grandchildren also survive. Steve was preceded in death by his parents, five sisters, Gertrude Lange, Mabel, Lange, Harriet Hartle, Frances Merrill, and Emily Carlson, and one brother, Elmore Lange. Visitation will be at Michaelson Funeral Home, Owatonna, on Sunday, April 29, from 3 to 7 p.m. A Masonic service will take place at 7 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Monday, April 30 at 10:30 a.m. at the United Methodist Church with the Rev. Loren Olson officiating. Interment will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Owatonna Foundation or the Steele County History Center. Visitation: 04/29/2012 15:00 04/29/2012 19:00 Service: 04/30/2012 10:30