Albe died of old age, on August 31, 2012, at her home at The Mather in Evanston, Illinois, quietly, peacefully, and without pain, in her sleep.

We will hold a Celebration of Albe's Life at 2:00 Sunday November 18, at Tittle Chapel, First United Methodist Church, 516 Church Street Evanston.  Please join us for a reception following the service at Prairie Moon Restaurant, 1502 Sherman Avenue, Evanston.  Wearing black will not be permitted!  "I lived a full life and I have no regrets.  Why would people wear black in mourning?" 

Three weeks prior to her death Albe celebrated her 90th birthday with Ned and all five of their children. At the celebration, Albe said "I've had a good life, I have a wonderful husband, five wonderful children and four wonderful grandchildren. I’m very proud of the contributions I’ve made to my community. I have no regrets. You're born, you live, you die. It's the most natural thing in the world. I'm ready to go. I pray every night the Lord my soul to take...and to get Obama re-elected.” Through her final weeks she did not lose her wit, her insight, or her passion for politics. 

Albe was born August 7, 1922, in Joliet, Illinois, to John Edwin Johnson and Clara Flint Johnson, both second-generation Swedish Americans whose parents immigrated to Joliet in the 1880s and '90s. She and her two younger sisters, Rachel and Phyllis, grew up among dozens of aunts, uncles and cousins -- a loving extended family that Albe treasured throughout her life. 

Albe left Joliet to attend Antioch College, where she met Ned Lauterbach.  In the spring of 1945 Albe and Ned graduated from Antioch, married, and moved to Rogers Park in Chicago.  In 1961, with their five children, they moved to the 700 block of Forest Avenue in Evanston, and remained on that block until 2009 when they moved across town to The Mather. 

Albe was deeply committed to her family and her community. Throughout her adult life she worked tirelessly, with penetrating insight and to great effect, on Democratic political campaigns. She deeply believed that every citizen can and should make a difference in the community and in the country. She held paid positions on numerous important state and national political campaigns — including the U.S. Senatorial campaigns of Adlai Stevenson III and Paul Simon — and managed dozens of local campaigns, as well. In 2004, long after retirement, she and Ned co-hosted with their next-door neighbors a small backyard fundraiser for a little-known candidate running in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate named Barack Obama.

By her words and her example, Albe passed her passion for social justice, equal opportunity, and community service to all five of her children. In 2010, Albe and Ned were recognized for their decades of service to the community with an Evanston City Council resolution designating the 700 block of Forest Avenue as “Lauterbach Way.”

The Evanston RoundTable wrote a nice obituary about her service to the community. 

Albe was as committed to her family and friends as to her political passions. When her children were young, she created a welcoming, child-friendly environment in her home, which thus became the center of play and games for the entire neighborhood. She was an extraordinary cook, prolific seamstress, expert knitter (to her final day, she was never without her knitting bag), enthusiastic decades-long member of her bridge group, and devotee of the New Yorker and the daily crossword puzzle. 

In their retirement, Albe and Ned enjoyed traveling, visiting dozens of countries, from Peru to Vietnam to England, preferring to explore places off the beaten path, on their own, without fixed itineraries or tour groups.

The best way to honor Albe's life and legacy is to follow her lead and serve the community by investing time and money in efforts to make the neighborhood, town, country, and world a better place for all.

In lieu of flowers, Albe and her family suggest that donations be made to: Re-electing Obama/Biden 2012 or Evanston History Center

We are grateful for having had such a remarkable and wonderful wife and mom and grandma.  The friends and family that surrounded her helped to make her who she was, so we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of our extended family.

With love,

Ned, The Kids (Steve, Stew, Chris, Kacki and Amy), and The Grandkids (Claire, Eric, Jack, and Nathan)