Larry Tafel Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

God has called Larry home. Our beloved, Laurence "Larry" Craig Tafel, joined many loved ones in heaven on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. He fought a long, hard battle with cancer and passed on his own terms at the University of Michigan Hospital, with family present. Born October 8, 1958, Larry is the son of Carol K. Tafel and the late John L. Tafel. He married his soul mate and high school sweetheart, Cathy J. (Schimpf) Tafel on January 30, 1982. They recently celebrated their 40th anniversary by just enjoying time together watching the NFL Playoffs. His colorful NFL commentary will be missed by many! Larry graduated from Buena Vista High School in 1976. He was baptized and a member of First Christian Church (Burt & E. Genesee) where he first met Cathy in Vacation Bible School. They would become friends after meeting again through the church’s youth program when they were in Jr. High and started dating part way through high school. Having always loved sports, early on Larry played fast pitched softball as a catcher with his church’s team while also playing slo-pitch softball. He could switch hit and his church team gave him the nickname ‘wheels’ because once he rounded first base, the wheels came off and he was gone, usually for a triple. He later found his love of bowling and golf, where after 40 years he acquired many, many good friends. Larry and his wife, Cathy, together have enjoyed watching Saginaw Spirit Hockey as long-time season ticketholders; again gaining more friends along the way. One of Larry’s greatest pleasures was driving Miss Daisy (Cathy) whether it was across country to visit family or taking her camping with friends and most importantly enjoying those camping trips with their family. Larry worked construction most of his life, finding this passion after a short time with the U.S. Post Office, working a holiday season as a Mall Santa, and spending time in the janitorial field cleaning and stripping floors. He then worked with Graebner Builders and Shotwell Builders for a long time. In 1998, Larry decided to start his own company, Tafel Construction and Remodeling. He enjoyed helping others with their home projects and was known to impart his wisdom by helping others learn how to handle basic home maintenance repairs. He had a few, what we call Tafel-isms, such as: lefty loosey-righty tighty, if it ain’t tight-it ain’t right, measure twice cut once, and our favorite: water always wins. He has many customers who have become friends, because that’s Larry, a friend to all! Larry is survived by his wife, Cathy Tafel; children, Sara N. Tafel and Brett M. (Megan) Tafel; grandchildren, Pedro Valenzuela IV and Alejandro “Alex” T. Valenzuela; mother, Carol Tafel; his brother, John C. “JC” Tafel; sister, Kay A. (Allen) Curry; brothers-in-law, Michael Schimpf (Lenn Beardsley) and Scott (Shelly) Schimpf; sister-in-law, Holly Schimpf; his uncle, Delbert (Ruth) Reinhart; niece and nephews: Jennifer Schimpf, Zachary Schimpf, Elliott Tafel, Eddy (Kim) Lambert, and Anthony Lambert; cousins in Washington state, and many, many good friends, including his longtime sister-like-friend, Jennifer Wilson. Those who welcomed him to Heaven are his father, John L. Tafel; aunt Luciene (Richard) Coon; sister-in-law, Roberta (Lambert) Tafel; niece, November Tafel, Tafel grand-twins; father-in-law, Donald F. Schimpf; mother-in-law, Barbara J. (Lantz) Schimpf; aunt Martha Brown; cousin, Milt Brown; best man, Gary Lazowski; friends, Patrick O’Connor, Dave Oldenburg, Gary Warner, William “Bill” Lechel, Joe Loeblein, Susan Guymer, Marsha McQuillan, Jerry & Ida Hoffman; his beloved Akita, Mandy, and cranky cat, JD. Please join us as we celebrate the life of our loved one, Larry Tafel. Visitation will take place on Friday, February 11, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Fischer Family Funeral Home, 504 N. Michigan Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48602. Visitation will continue on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at United Methodist Church, 4790 Gratiot Rd., Saginaw, MI 48638, from 1:00 p.m. until time of Funeral Service at 2:00 p.m., with Pastor Amy Terhune Officiating. Masks are required at church for Larry's services. For those who are unable to attend the services for Larry on Saturday, you can participate virtually by using the YouTube link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ1zslX2Q_c Memorials in honor of Larry may be made to the University of Michigan Foundation at https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/find/#!/give/basket/fund/317598/tributee/Larry%20Tafel/type/memory This foundation has generously helped pay some of Larry’s medical expenses in the past and we would like to give back. For information, please call Fischer Family Funeral Services at (989) 755-8277. To express your condolences, please visit www.fischerfuneral.com.

Larry Tafel

October 8, 1958 - February 8, 2022