Andrejs Paeglis

Paeglis, Andrejs "Andy" Kalamazoo Age 80, passed unexpectedly at home on Monday June 10, 2019. Andy was born in Valka, Latvia on September 5, 1938, to the late Alfreds and Emma (Liepins) Paeglis. At a young age, along with his parents and two brothers, Andy emigrated to the United States. He proudly served in the U.S. Army from July 26, 1961 to July 25, 1965. Andy retired from James River after 37 years of service. On April 29, 1971 he married his love, Mary Lou (Leach) See and they remained married for nearly 44 years until her death on July 7, 2015. Andy and Mary Lou enjoyed trips touring Michigan, going to the Indy 500, Kentucky Derby, Sunday drives and most of all, their family cookouts filled with ribs, steaks, Latvian side dishes and Perogs. Anyone lucky enough to attend those cookouts understood how food brought us all together. Andy had a greater than life personality and a heart of gold. He was also always willing to lend a helping hand and especially loved caring for cats. Andy and Mary Lou were members of the Latvian Church and community of Kalamazoo. In addition to the passing of his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Zig Paeglis and Marty (Rita) Paeglis; and step-son Loren See. Andy is survived by his niece, Debra (Bernard) Marr; nephew and God Son, Andrejs "Andy" Paeglis; family members in Latvia; step-children, Jeffrey (Kyle) See, Sheryl (Dan) Farrell, Terri Ammon, Valerie (Fred) White and Jean See; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and brother in-law, Arthur Stoner. He is also survived by his cat, Lady. The family would like to acknowledge the best neighbor a person could ever wish for, Brenda Ward. A funeral service will be held at Joldersma & Klein Funeral Home on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 11:00 AM. Burial with military honors will follow at Riverside Cemetery. Visitation will take place at the funeral home on Saturday, one hour prior to the service. Memorial contributions in Andy's memory may be made to the Cat Nap Lodge of Richland or the Kalamazoo Latvian Evangelical United Lutheran Church, c/o the funeral home.