Al Schoenborn

A caring and much loved man with a giving heart, Alvin C. Schoenborn loved helping people. He sought no fanfare, no praise or admiration for the ways in which he served others. Al quietly went about his business, helping where he saw a need and taking pleasure in things others often take for granted. As a man of immense faith, he embodied the true Christian spirit with his kind, generous personality and his strong sense of conviction. Most importantly, Al will be remembered as a faithful husband, loving father and grandfather, and a good and generous friend to all he knew.

In the year 1915, life was changing rapidly. Under the direction of President Woodrow Wilson, the United States was embracing the industrial revolution and Americans celebrated the completion of the one millionth Ford automobile. Although current events were definitely exciting, for Marcus Schoenborn and his wife, Louise (Klein), of Wright Township, Michigan, the most exciting event of the year was the birth of their son, Alvin "Al", on December 17, 1915.

Along with his older brother, Glenn, and younger brother, LaVern, Al grew up on their family farm in Wright Township, Michigan. It was a typical farm for the time, raising cows and pigs. Working on the farm along side his father, Al learned to be a jack-of-all-trades at an early age, fixing farm equipment and doing a variety of jobs. The Schoenborns were members of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wright Township, and this strong Catholic upbringing would become an important part of Al's life. He and his brothers attended the area schools, though Al left after the 8th grade to help his father full-time on the farm. Whenever possible, he also worked odd jobs to help support his family. Al and his brother LaVern liked small game hunting, which helped put food on their family's table too. He worked for Hayes manufacturing for a short time.

At 19, Al went to work in the shipping and receiving department of the newly opened General Motors Plant #1 on 36th Street in Wyoming, Michigan. Dedicated and hard working, Al remained at GM until his early retirement in 1976. In 1938, a wonderful thing happened to Al - he met the love of his life, Bernetta "Bonnie." Weber. He was introduced to Bonnie through his cousins, the Brechting Girls, and they soon began dating. Over the next couple of years, their love for each other blossomed and they were happily married on September 14, 1940, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grand Rapids. Following the wedding, a grand reception was held at the Lexicon Club, which lasted for 2 days.

The couple did not have a honeymoon, but instead settled into married life together in their first apartment on 6th Street NW in Grand Rapids. After 2 years, they moved to Pine Street, above her parents' home for another 2 years. It was during this time that World War II erupted in Europe and Al soon received his draft notice from the U.S. Army. His father wasn't thrilled with this news and encouraged Al to come to the farm to avoid the draft. Al, however, felt the patriotic pull at his heart and went on to honorably serve in the 75th Armored Division. When Al left for boot camp in 1943, Bonnie followed him to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, where they lived for the next 5 months until he shipped out for Europe. Meanwhile, Bonnie returned to their apartment and worked at the local Woolworth's Department Store, selling stamp and war bonds.

In 1946, Al was discharged from the service and returned to his wife in Grand Rapids. Al saw much action during the war serving in the Battle of the Bulge, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe. He was discharged as a Staff Sergent and earned 3 bronze stars. At this time, he wanted to pursue a career as a policeman, but unfortunately found he was too old, so he returned to GM and became a gifted tool and die maker. In April of 1950, the couple received an incredible blessing in their lives when they adopted their only child, son Thomas, who was a wee 4 weeks old at the time. As parents, Al and Bonnie truly believed Tom was heaven-sent and became the focus of their lives. They soon bought their first home on the west side of Grand Rapids on Pine Street NW, but after 3 years, the family moved to a home on Tallman SE in Kentwood, Michigan. Here, they became active members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish and Tom attended Immaculate Heart of Mary School where he played on the football team. Tom went on to graduate from Catholic Central High School.

In 1967, the family briefly moved to a home on Brooklyn, before returning to the west side of Grand Rapids in 1968, so Bonnie could care for her elderly father. They would eventually move to Webster NW, where they would reside for 31 years. Al was always such a kind and caring man, and his generous nature overflowed not only to his family, but also to his neighbors nearby. From snow blowing driveways and sidewalks in the winter to doing odd jobs around their house, Al was always lending a helping hand. As Westsiders, he and Bonnie became active members at St. Mary's Catholic Church, where he served as an Usher and Eucharistic Minister, worked Bingo for 23 years and helped along at funeral luncheons. Wherever help was needed, Al was there joyfully serving along.

The family spent many summers and winters at their cottage on Brooks Lake in Newaygo County, which Al, his father-in-law, Tony and friend Louis built. Everyone loved to small game hunt in the woods surrounding the cottage and fish for bluegill and perch in the lake. Always active, the couple golfed together for many years and Al also enjoyed bowling on the GM league. Al loved cars and always looked forward to getting a new family car, which he could dote on. However, his greatest passion was for gardening and he became quite known for his grand tomatoes. Al grew a very special and rare variety called Bonnie's Best, which he had to scour the State of Michigan for each spring. In addition, his garden also boasted of carrots, beets, cucumbers, peppers and corn, all of which he canned each fall. Al never wanted anyone to walk away from the dinner table hungry and no one got away before he asked, "Are you sure you had enough to eat?"

Besides being a devoted husband and father, Al had many talents around the house. He was an excellent cook of almost anything, though preferred meat and potatoes himself. He could sew, do laundry and iron, but especially enjoyed his woodworking and made many beautiful wishing wells for family and friends. Al and Bonnie also liked hunting for bargains at garage sales together, as well as hosting numerous sales of their own. After Al retired, the couple began traveling more extensively, visiting places like Los Angeles, Denver (where their son Tom lived), Colorado, Hawaii and Bermuda. Al didn't mind going anywhere as long as it had a casino he could visit. Through the years, Al also kept in touch with many of his war buddies and often planned their family vacations visiting them in Buffalo, New York, Chicago and Skokie, Illinois, among many other places. However, family was always first in their hearts, and as grandparents they adored their grandchildren and great grandchildren and cherished their time together with them.

Although Al's life was happy, it was also marked with many difficulties and hardships. In 1975, he was diagnosed with eye cancer, which ultimately took his eye. Because of this, Al had constant vision problems, which caused him to retire early from GM, but through the love and support of his family, he recovered nicely. Then in 1994, hardship fell on the family again when Al fell down the stairs at their home on Webster, causing several injuries, including brain damage. While trying to recover, he suffered with depression and received treatment at Pine Rest Hospital. By 1997, he was well on his way to recovery. A year later, Al was in a terrible auto accident, which caused even more brain damage and another bout with depression, leading to several months at Pine Rest for treatment.

In 1999, Al and Bonnie moved to an apartment at Churchill Place in Comstock Park, Michigan, though after a year, it was evident that Bonnie could no longer care for Al by herself and he was admitted to St. Ann's Home. It didn't take long before Al adjusted to his life here and enjoyed attending Mass daily in the Chapel. After a few years of enjoying good health, Al fell and broke his hip on Labor Day 2003, and spent time recovering at St. Mary's Living Center before returning to St. Ann's. Al's health never returned and it continued to decline over the next several years, causing him to be put under hospice care on October 1, 2005.

Al Schoenborn will be remembered as a generous, caring person who gave of himself to help others. He loved his wife, Bonnie, his son, Tom, his grandchildren and great grandchildren. His deep Catholic faith sustained him and his family through difficult times. Al was a devout Catholic who believed in his faith and lived the message of the gospel. He will be remembered as a good neighbor. May the Lord bless and keep Alvin C. Schoenborn.

Alvin C. "Al" Schoenborn, aged 89, passed away at St. Ann 's Home on Saturday, October 15, 2005. He was the husband of Bernetta "Bonnie" Schoenborn for 65 years. Al was a loving father to son, Thomas A. (Susan) Schoenborn; grandfather to Chad (Brooke) Schoenborn and Lisa (Joshua) Ford; great grandfather to Sabra Kay Ford and Timothy Thomas Ford; godfather to Bonnie (Gus) Costa; brother to Glen Schoenborn. He is also survived by several nieces, nephews and friends. Al was preceded in death by his brother, LaVern Schoenborn.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, October 19, at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be in Rosedale Cemetery. Relatives and friends may meet his family at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW, on Tuesday, October 18, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. with the rosary at 7:30 p.m. Please visit Alvin's personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory of him, sign his guest book or make a memorial contribution in his memory to St. Mary's Church Preservation Fund or a charity of your choice.