Albert Edward Liersch's Obituary
Albert Edward Liersch {“Al”} passed to his earthly rest in the loving care of Jesus on August 30th 2023 at Haven Hospice, Gainesville, FL after a life filled with love and service.
Al is survived by his wife, Loretta Liersch {nee; Gordon}, and their children, Deborah Magee and her husband Charles Magee of Alachua FL, Mark Liersch and his wife Maria of Fredericksburg VA, and Barry Liersch and his wife Pauline of Albuquerque NM, as well as his niece Kimberly Kerr of Gainesville. He also has seven grandchildren, Shannon, Brandon, Melissa, Mitchell, Ethan, Alessandra and Edward, as well as eleven greatgrandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sister Janet Zech.
Albert was born in San Antonio, Texas to parents Albert and Viola Liersch in 1932. After moving with his family to Southern California during his early childhood, Al grew up in the San Gabriel valley of Los Angeles. He enjoyed wrestling and weight lifting during his teenage years, and graduated from Lynwood Academy in 1950. Joining the United States Navy, he served as a Hospital Corpsman at Balboa Naval Hospital during the Korean War.
When the war ended, Al enrolled at Pasadena City College where he graduated with honors. He then transferred to University of California Los Angeles and maintained a 4.0 in his studies of Mathematics and Aerospace Engineering. It was during this time that he met and married the love of his life, Loretta. The couple moved into an apartment in Burbank and a few years later, Loretta gave birth to their oldest child, a daughter they named Deborah Ann. They purchased their first home, and Al was hired by Lockheed and Aerojet, where he worked on rocket development for the Mercury space program and often proudly watched televised launches from Cape Canaveral.
Despite his enjoyment of working within the space program, Al often felt that God had other plans for him. Thus, with the Lord’s calling, Al entered training for the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) ministry; their daughter was just beginning elementary school. Al obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Loma Linda University, Riverside, CA, and subsequently completed his formal theological training with a Master’s Degree from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan. While living in Michigan, Albert and Loretta’s first son Mark was born.
The Liersch family then returned to Southern California, where Al began his first ministerial position as Associate Pastor of the Canoga Park Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was while living here that Albert and Loretta’s second son, Barry was born. Shortly after, they moved to Lancaster, CA where he was promoted to senior pastor of the Mojave church. After gaining experience in leading a small church, Albert was transferred to the larger Hacienda Heights church, where he continued gaining ministerial experience. He and Loretta tremendously enjoyed these opportunities for service as well as the friendships afforded them in all of these congregations.
With a variety of pastoral experiences under his belt, Albert was presented with the option of joining the faculty at Southern Adventist University, just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Once again, he and his family trekked back east and made their home in Collegedale Tennessee, where he taught religion to ministerial students, as well as building and pastoring the nearby churches of Hixson and Soddy Daisy. He enjoyed the challenges of teaching college students who aspired to the ministry, and later remarked on the value that the university setting had given him.
After a number of years, Al left the academic environment to return to full time ministry. Leaving Debbie at college in Tennessee, Al and Loretta, Mark and Barry, made their home several hours south in the lovely city of Savannah, Georgia, pastoring the SDA church there. Al joined the Lions Club of Savannah and often remarked on the wonderful friends he made during his membership in that organization. The family was relishing the warm hospitality of their southern locales but after four years in Savannah, they needed to make plans to return to California, due to ill health of Al’s father. Accepting the Healdsburg Seventh-day Adventist church as their next stop, Al and Loretta treasured many years in the idyllic northern California wine country, where they made numerous friends and developed a passion for sailing on the San Francisco Bay. Al restored a 21 ft. Catalina sailboat to pristine condition, naming it “Loral” after he and wife - and later a 27 ft. sailboat, the Loral II. His family and sons, as well as many friends could often be found on the Bay, enjoying the technically challenging but rewarding and beautiful sailing conditions.
Al’s last major church home was in Chico, California where he served until retirement, not only functioning as the senior minister to a large congregation, but also spearheading the development and construction of a new elementary school on the church’s property, raising funds for and overseeing the building of the school. He and Loretta remained at this location for approximately 20 years, enjoying the multiple and diverse talents of this congregation and developing many close friendships, which he maintained and cherished throughout the remainder of his lifetime.
Never one to remain idle, Albert continued to work during the early years of his retirement as a part-time pastor for the rural church in Yankee Hill California, until a stroke limited his ability to continue actively serving as a minister. He and his wife enjoyed their home in Chico but eventually joined their daughter Debbie in a move to Gainesville Florida in 2019, where they lived until his recent passing.
In addition to being a kind, hard-working, caring minister and a principled man, Al was a devoted husband, and a warm-hearted and attentive father who dearly loved his family and enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren. Besides being an avid sailor, Al loved many water sports, learning to water ski with his daughter and sons on many of the Northern California lakes. At one point, he even invested in a fishing boat where his son Barry learned the art of commercial fishing as a teenager. Al also had experience with home building, and completed several lovely additions to his Chico home. He loved working in his yard, designing his landscapes and raising vegetables and fruit trees.
Al had a positive, uplifting spirit as well as a tremendously joyful sense of humor. He could make up fanciful tales on the spot for his grandchildren, often involving such characters as a grumpy rattlesnake named “Old Fang” whose bite was repeatedly rendered harmless by See’s candy caramels! Al could lift the mood in any room he walked into and always focused on the good in everyone, doing his best to reflect the generous and encouraging example set by Jesus.
There will be a celebration of Albert’s life on Friday, September 29 at 11:00 AM at Williams Thomas Funeral
Home, 823 NW 143rd St, Newberry, Florida and the family welcomes anyone who wishes to join them in
remembering Al’s life.
What’s your fondest memory of Albert?
What’s a lesson you learned from Albert?
Share a story where Albert's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Albert you’ll never forget.
How did Albert make you smile?