Naomi M Lange
September 7, 1924 - September 28, 2018

Naomi M. Lange, 94, of Palm Bay, FL. and formerly of Pembroke Pines, FL. passed away September 28, 2018. She was a south Florida resident for 74 years.
Naomi Margaret Lange was born on September 7, 1924 in Meadeville, Mississippi. She was the 5th of 6 surviving children born to Richard Spencer Haley and Ona Eliza Stevens Haley. She was the youngest, age 6, child to stay home with her father when her mother died in 1930 in childbirth and with pneumonia. As a child she remembers Sundays as the only day father took the day off. The children would be taken to church and her and her siblings would make dinner and they would spend the day quietly together. She loved going to work with her Dad in the summer in his blacksmith shop and she would work the bellows for him. Although they were poor, the children still found things to amuse themselves often playing near the creek in the various bayous and when they got older and got jobs as teens seeing an occasional moving picture show. She also told me her first little friend was a little black girl and when their parents found out they were no longer allowed to play with each other. She never forgot that little girl and her friendship. She remembered how it felt to be looked down upon and put forth her best effort to not do that to others. Being very poor growing up was very difficult and it left it's mark on her. She did well in school and ended up playing saxophone in high school. She started business school after high school and then got ill and had to quit. She obtained a position as an operator for Southern Bell Telephone Company. Her father died when she was in her early 20s. After working for a short while in Natchez she decided to make a transfer request to Miami Beach, Florida against her older brother's wishes. She packed her clothes, her sewing machine, put a gun under the driver's seat in the car and drove herself down to Miami Beach. She worked her way up to Supervisor and was a career woman for about 13 years. She had a great social circle and enjoyed her life, going back to Mississippi when she could for visits.
She was about to accept a proposal from a wealthy New York snowbird when a dear friend with whom she worked asked if she would like to go on a blind date with a Navy friend of her husband who was stationed in Key West. That Navy man stole her heart and she stole his. They met in April and were married in August. They had 3 children as our father went from one deployment to another. They started in Miami and Mom retired from the phone company when she needed to move to New Orleans to be with her oldest sister to have Sandy while her beloved Ray was deployed for recruiting duty. Next was Atlanta where Mike was born, then Jacksonville, and finally Key West where Bob was born. At the news that our father, Ray, was to be transferred to Rhode Island, the Florida boy retired from active duty in Navy and we all moved to Miami. We lived there for 5 years and afterward, we moved to Pembroke Pines.
Naomi is remembered by her children as the most encouraging, loving mother any 3 people could ever have. As parents, they worked together seamlessly as a team. You could try to go from one parent to the other, but it never, ever worked. They both continuously encouraged and emphasized education so that we would have they opportunities they did not have. Our Mom worked tirelessly on making sure we had whatever we needed for us to learn and succeed with endless patience. She gave up a great deal and never put herself first. Her dearest wish was for us to follow our dreams, as long as an education came first, and to be happy. Whenever one of us wanted to go on a new adventure, moving, travelling, going back to school she would ask one question, is this what you think is going to make you happy? She was endlessly devoted to us and our father. Since he died when we were all young adults, her focus was on us, not to smother ...but to mother. She would never say no if we asked her to travel, to go to the Everglades, to the beach, to concerts, to plays, to the ballet, to dinner or any of the many various places we asked her to go. She went into the Sandia Mountains and New Mexico, to Mexico, to San Francisco, Rhode Island, Texas, New York, Missouri, New Orleans, and Mississippi.
She also took care of friend's children and assisted their working parents in, not just babysitting, but being in their Nana's care. She was deeply beloved to all the parents and the children she cared for. She became a big part of their lives was Nana to several of our friend's children whether they were cared for by her or not.
Eventually, she had the good fortune to be a grandmother to Mike and Nancy's children, Brendan and Elyssa. She loved it when Mike and Nancy called and said we need you to help with the children. She never hesitated to drive 3 hours at a moment's notice. First, her shining star was Brendan and when Elyssa born and then she had two. They were as much her heart as the three of us were. Our joke expression became her theme song, "On The Road Again" by Willie Nelson.
After she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Sandy lived with her for a while and checked on her often when she did not. She went up to Palm Bay for Thanksgiving of 2007 and had a TIA (mini stroke). The Dr. said that that was likely not her first and she was unable to live on her own any more. When she was released from the hospital, she moved in with Bob and was glad to be with Bob and closer to Mike and the grand-kids. She resided with Bob for 2 years and then moved to the ARK Center of Brevard where she became a part of Naden and Jacque's residential family in their loving community home. Naomi remained there for almost 9 years until just 3 weeks after a very lovely 94th birthday, when she decided it was time to give up her tired body and join her beloved Ray and sail off together in the hereafter.
Naomi was a member of Pembroke Road Baptist Church and the Eastern Star. She is survived by the following family members, daughter; Sandra K. Lange; son, Michael R. ( Nancy ) Lange; son, Robert K. Lange; step daughter, Suzanne Lange; sister, Billie M. Brown; grandchildren, Brendan Lange and Elyssa Lange and a great grandson, Jesse Lange. She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond E. Lange; brothers, James A. Haley and Walter Haley; sisters, Nanny C. Haley and Amanda L. Sullivan.

Visitation will be held Saturday, October 13, 2018 11:00am - 12:00pm, followed by a Committal Service at Hollywood Memorial Gardens West. A Memorial Service will be held at 1:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Lauderdale, 3970 NW 21 Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, 33309

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