Hans S. Rother

March 12, 1930 - February 22, 2017

Hans Siegfried Rother We are sad to announce the passing of our beloved father and Opa, Hans Siegfried Rother on February 22, 2017 in Grand Ledge. Hans was born on March 12, 1930 in Thalheim, Germany, the son of Erwin Richard Rother and Hanna Rother, nee Schannewitzki. During his childhood the family ran a restaurant in Görlitz, called the Forsthaus. Görlitz was in the Russian Zone, and at age 15 Hans and his mother were forced to flee on foot because of World War II. In the summer of 1946 they moved to Ingelheim in the French Zone, where Hans finished secondary school and apprenticed as a stonemason to earn money for college. From 1950-52 he attended the Bau und Kunstschule Mainz, graduating as a Construction Engineer. Conditions were difficult in Germany after the war, and Hans decided to try to find work in Canada. When his travel papers came through he boarded a ship to Montreal, and a train to Edmonton, Canada. During this time as a draftsman in Canada, he and other German immigrants wrote letters through a German newspaper to find female penpals. In 1956 Hans traveled back to Germany to meet Edith Schümann with whom he had corresponded for one year. Six weeks later they were married in Ingelheim -- on June 14, 1956 -- and they returned to Calgary, Canada. The train trip from Montreal to Calgary took three days. Hans and Edith moved to the U.S. in 1957, sponsored by Clark Ackley Architects in Lansing, Michigan. In 1959 he moved to Simpson and Hartwick, which later became Hartwick and Associates. During this time Hans and Edith, now with two children, lived on Delta River Drive in Delta Mills and moved to Grand Ledge in 1969. In 1974 Hans became an AIAregistered Architect and partnered with Don Hartwick. They named their architecture company Rother & Hartwick. The company existed until 1994, after which Hans continued to work freelance from home until officially retiring at age 72. Hans served on the Delta Township Building and Mechanical Board of Appeals for 26 years. He enjoyed overseas travel, painting watercolors of his favorite sights, gardening, hunting, hiking the dunes on Lake Michigan, and was a skilled cook. Most recently Hans treasured visiting with his friends and neighbors, whom he cherished. Hans is survived by his son Michael and daughter-in-law Liz of Ann Arbor, his daughter Andrea of Cape Town, South Africa, his granddaughters Acacia, Grace, and Olivia, and his grandson Luan. Edith, his wife of 60 years, passed away on August 16, 2016. He is also survived by his sister Christa Rother of Hamburg, Germany. Hans' two elder brothers Gerhard and Helmut died in WWII, one month before the war ended, losses he felt keenly all his life. The family would like to thank Hans and Edith's friends and neighbors in Grand Ledge and Lansing for their support and many kindnesses over the years, and especially in the last few years. A memorial service will be held in May. Arrangements by the Holihan-Atkin-Barclay Funeral Home, Grand Ledge.