Grace Ann Krueger Ansorge, 74, of Huntsville, passed away on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at Huntsville Health and Rehab.
She is survived by her husband, Rev. Bernard H. Ansorge; daughter, Jennifer Ansorge Arthur (Corwin), two sons, John Bernard Ansorge (Andrea), Philip Andrew Ansorge; sister, Marilyn Hilda Krueger; three nephews and one niece; five grandchildren, Corwin M. Arthur (Alexina), John Chandler Arthur (Catherine), Tristan Michael Ansorge, Abigail Lee Ansorge, Dorothy Grace Ansorge; one great grandchild, William Hayden Arthur.
Visitation will be at Berryhill Funeral Home on Wednesday, January 20th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visitation will be held prior to the funeral at Ascension Lutheran Church on January 21st from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held at the church at 12:00 p.m. Burial will follow the funeral at Maple Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Ascencion Lutheran Church in memory of Grace.
Berryhill Funeral Home is assisting the family.

In Memory of Grace Ansorge
September 13, 1941 - January 12, 2016

From the time she was a young girl in southern Ilinois, Grace Krueger Ansorge had but one dream—to be a registered nurse. So, she saved her birthday money and what she earned during high school, when she worked at Woolworth's Five and Dime and the Hollywood Candy Co (they made Pay Day candy bars), to pay for nurses' training. She did other things as well like playing flute in the band of Centralia Township High School and teaching Sunday School at Trinity Lutheran Church where her Dad was the pastor.
After high school she enrolled in Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, a necessary move to reach her goal, but one that could have complicated her plans, for there she began to date a future pastor. I was in my first year at Concordia Seminary that fall. The possible complication occurred sometime later when she told me one night she wanted to break up. When I asked why, she said, "I think I'm falling in love with you and I don't want to marry a pastor." Well, guess what happened? She became a nurse and also a pastor's wife.
We soon found ourselves 1000 miles south from her parents and 500 from mine. Acceptng that first Call, we had no idea that for the next 53 eventful years we would live in Mississippi and Alabama. In Jackson we planted a new church, had two babies (Jenni and John) and got introduced to the KKK. There Grace began her nursing career at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
In Huntsville we completed our family when Philip was born. By then Grace had gone back to work as supervisor of the operating room at the brand new Humana Hospital where she was one of the first two nurses to be employed. After 20 years, she had become the hospital's assistant executive director. She concluded her career as the director of nursing at Crestwood Hospital. Following a stroke and rehab, she retired and became even more involved as a pastor's wife. Even so, she was always my wife and our mom.
As I remember my dear Grace, the title of a beloved hymn, "Amazing Grace," seems to characterize her life. She wore three hats and wore each well. But, I hasten to add that this was not due to her talents and capabilities, but to her enduring faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That faith was not of herself—something that she manufactured—but it was her gift from God. It was not that she had such a great faith; it was that she had a great God…a Triune God who loved her in spite of her sinful humanity, who daily and richly forgave her sin…a God who indelibly impressed His name upon her heart and promised to take her one day from this vale of tears to Himself in Heaven. That day came January 12.
Our powerful and loving God remained true to His promise to abide with her, even as the effects of her dementia worsened. Until the final night of her life, she continued to follow along as I sang hymns and recited familiar prayers with her. Together we experienced the presence of Jesus for which the writer of this hymn prayed: "Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee. In life and death O Lord, abide with me."
Amazing grace, indeed!
With love and devotion, Bernie.