Karl-Heinz Rolf Albert Lenz, 62, of Westville, NJ, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family on June 14, 2014.
Karl-Heinz, A.K.A. “Herman the German” immigrated to the U.S. at age 20 from Bremerhaven Germany.
Predeceased by his son, Christopher Daniel Lenz, Karl is survived, and sorely missed by, his devoted wife Evelyn Helene Lenz (Dyrnes) and his three loving children, Karl-Heinz Thomas Lenz, Erik Stephen Lenz and Jessica Alexis Lenz. As well as an extended family in New York and Germany, he is also Opa to three wonderful grandchildren, Emily Aileen Lenz, Aiden Christopher Lenz and Nicholas Anthony Lenz.
Karl-Heinz spent many years as a skilled baker and was a hardworking provider for his family. Most recently he worked for Eastern Regional High School, from which he retired earlier this year. He set a strong example for his children to emulate. He loved The Beatles, fishing, time spent with his family and marathon sessions of History Channel or Food Network programming. He always wanted to be a chef.
Tributes
Leave a tributeIch denke sehr oft an Dich!
Du bist in meinem Herzen.
I said this before but it is important enough to say again.
Their spirit can live with you, as long as you allow it, so although Kalle is not physically "Here" ... he is with me.
You were the best father in law a girl could ask for. You embodied so many qualities I admire; patience, unconditional support, and such pride in your family. Though you were a man of few words, if one found the right trigger words you were rewarded with a big smile and a great conversation. It's been 18 years since I was introduced to this wonderful family, and never for a minute did I not feel warm welcome and acceptance from you. I loved how uncomplicated you were, you were a "what you see is what you get" kinda guy. You were so easy to be around, and it was the little things in life that made you happiest. I was so proud to give you a granddaughter and I know how fiercely she loves her Opa. She knew she could get you to buy her contraband candy every visit. I knew every visit you and I would go to the Amish market, we would sample the foods, and then you would trapse around the craft area with me. You couldn't have been less interested in the crafts and merchandise but you never once complained, never rushed me. Maybe we didn't share a lot of heart to heart conversations but we bonded none the less. Over a fresh hot delbuno roll, a Carmen sub, or rolling our eyes when mama lenz would lovingly nag you. :) you made me feel important by always doing that stuff with me, making sure we fit it all in during our visits. We always marveled at your ability to find a comfy chair and nod off wherever you were. :) you always took our teasing in good humor, knowing it all came from a place of love.
My life is fuller for having known you, for having married into your family. Thank you for raising such a smart and funny man that I am happy to call my husband. You gave him the solid foundation of a fantastic childhood. You helped give him the qualities to be the wonderful husband and father he is. He always knew you had his back and was proud of him.
You will be missed, but what you have created and nurtured here on earth will live on.
Mit Worten kann ich den Verlust meines Bruders nicht ausdrücken- es tut so weh im Herzen.
Kalle, ich hab dich lieb
Deine Schwester Heidi und dein Schwager Alex
Ganz viel Licht und Wärme für Dich Evie,Pummie,Erik und Jessica
My aunt Hilde was sitting behind me.
She asked him: Kalle, are you sleeping? KALLE!! Are you sleeping?
He woke up and said: What? No I'm watching the houses.
Everytime I think about this...I'm smiling.
Schieter ich bin traurig ueber die Zeit, die wir nicht miteinander hatten.
I'sad about the times we didn't have together.
You will be always in my heart.
I always knew, that there has been Onkel Karl- Heinz, a brother of my mum, in the USA with her aunt Tante Hilde.
I remember our first and only one meeting in the summer 2000 in Germany.
There is one story on my mind:
Onkel Karl- Heinz, Jessica and me on the way to look for corn by bicycle. We had a lot of fun at our little tour. Everything has been green and around us a lot fields of corn. My dog Merry was running forward. So we had to drive faster. Puh!! Home again, Onkel Karl- Heinz was cooking for us....yummy, lecker!
Next day we had a little bit "aua" with our Popo.
It's not a lot, but it's enough for me to know, that Onkel Karl- Heinz is a special member of our family!
Onkel Karl- Heinz, you will always on my mind!
Deine Jennifer
This is where things get interesting You all hear of the game King of the mountain. Yes you guessed it someone would climb to the top of this mountain of hey while the others tried to take down the king. To make this story short and sweet ... we would tear the mountain apart and when it was only a few feet tall would move onto the next one ... rise and repeat. Always keeping a keen eye on making sure the farmer wasn't sneaking up on us. We all ended up with hey in our hair inside our clothes and probably in our teeth if one didn't remember to keep they mouth shut as we were pushed down the mountain. I guess that is my first memory of Kalle. I feel bad for the farmer now since when he came back the next day and saw what we did ... well he had no choice but to rebuild the mountain so we could again tear them down ... I mean so his hey would not rot. This story took place around 1962 before farmers had heavy machinery or tractors to do the labor intensive work.
It must have been worth it because here it is 50 some odd years later and I still remember the good time we had.
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Ich denke sehr oft an Dich!