Siegfried Lessmann

Siegfried "Ziggy" Lessmann, age 71, of Marshall died Saturday morning, May 17, 2008 at Kairos Dwelling Home in Kalamazoo.Mr. Lessmann was born on November 8, 1936 in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany to Wilhelm and Erna (Freiny) Lessmann. He had been a resident of the Marshall area the majority of his life and became a proud citizen of the United States on December 1, 1981.Mr. Lessmann was a licensed stone mason and had worked for several Battle Creek companies. He then began a long and productive employment with the Yellow Freight Company in Marshall. He worked for over 32 years with the company, delivering packages to the Albion, Marshall and Battle Creek areas.On November 4, 1972, he married the former Patricia Ann Coss at the old Mt. Hope Lutheran Church in Marshall.Ziggy was well known for his immaculate yard and well maintained German Gardens. The Lessmann''s were awarded a Certificate of Appreciation Award from the Marshall Area Garden Club in 1995 for creating and maintaining a garden of excellence. Their gardens were featured in the annual Marshall, "Welcome to My Garden Tour" in 1999. His gardens were well received by the public as well as the German music he had playing in the background. In 2002, Siegfried received the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce, "Good Neighbor Award", for his hard work in planting and maintaining the flowers along the River Walk and at Stuart''s Landing.He is survived by his wife, Patty; daughter, Brenda Lessmann of Burlington; son, Mark Culp of Battle Creek; grandson, Kevin Culp a student at Michigan State University; sister, Brunhilda Wales of Oshtemo, MI; brother, Friederich Wilhelm Lessmann of Munich, Germany; and special buddy and neighbor, Mike Freeman.The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 2:00 to 4:00 and 6:00 to 8:00 at the Craig K. Kempf Funeral Home. A funeral service to celebrate the gift of his life will be held 11:00 AM Thursday, May 22, 2008 at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Oakridge Cemetery. Friends who wish may make memorial contributions to the Calhoun County Area Humane Society. Assistance with memorials is available at the funeral home.