joe stegmayer & j.c. strutzel recipients of prestigious awards

Around California continued...
In Memoriam – Michael
‘Mike’ Spence
Former CMHI
Member Michael
Spence passed
away on June 29,
2011 in Sun City,
California at the
age of 56. Mike
was a successful
businessman
in owning and
operating his
manufactured home sales company,
Integrity Mobile/Manufactured Homes
in Oceanside. He had retired 3½ years
ago and since then he was enjoying
experiencing life in Arkansas, Arizona
and back to California in his RV.
Mike was a beloved husband, father,
grandfather, brother and son to all
his family. He was also a wonderful
friend. He possessed a special gift of
making those in need feel better and
had a sense of humor that made those
around him laugh and smile even in the
worst of times.
Mike’s biggest loves in life were
his precious daughters whom he
adored: Delilah Spence of Hollywood,
FL; Carrie Gavin of Carson City, NV;
Johnna Ali of Sacramento, CA and
Sara Bennett of Bonsall, CA. In
addition, he is survived by his wife,
Karen Spence of Sun City, CA; father,
Dean Spence of Bullhead City, AZ;
mother, Shirley Shelgren of Roswell,
NM; two sisters, two brothers and nine
grandchildren.
Mike will be truly missed. A private
family memorial was held in Wichita,
Kansas and internment was at Fort
Rosecrans National Cemetery in San
Diego.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune – July 9, 2011
Retired Industry Members –
Where Are They Now?
Marty Lagin, Former Fleetwood
Dealer
U.S. Army veteran Marty Lagin, a
radio operator with the 304th Infantry
Regiment, landed with the troops in
Le Havre, France in December 1944
during the Battle of the Bulge. “I used
to carry a 30-pound radio on my back,
along with my rifle,” Lagin said of his
cumbersome trip up to the front lines.
It was late January 1945, and by
then, the Allies had the upper hand
and were pushing into Germany.
Casualties had thinned the ranks of
Lagin’s company. On their way into
Alsdorf, Germany, Private First Class
Lagin filled the leadership vacuum.
His captain had been shot up and
the lieutenant was nowhere around.
“I couldn’t find him. I couldn’t find
anybody. I said, ‘Come on guys! We’re
going up that hill’”. He and his men
crossed the Nims River and took the
high ground. They were discovered the
next day by the Germans.
February 27, 1945, was Lagin’s last
day on the battlefield. His company
took many mortar rounds and one of
the explosions knocked Lagin down.
Lagin spent three hours on the ground
before being carried away to safety.
After spending the night in a stone
house in a nearby village, he was taken
by litter jeep to Luxembourg the next
day.
“I knew I couldn’t move my legs.
It didn’t bother me that much. I
thought ‘I’m out of it now’”. Two
young surgeons removed a fragment
of shrapnel that had wounded Lagin’s
spine. “When they took the metal out
of my back, my right leg jumped; my
left leg remained partially paralyzed,”
Lagin states. He spent two months
in a hospital in England and then was
transported back to New York where
he spent five months rehabilitating and
retraining his weakened leg. Marty
was awarded the Bronze Star and
the Purple Heart for his bravery and
service.
Page 14
In 1955, he moved to Los Angeles’
west side and began a long, successful
career in the manufactured housing
industry. When he started out in the
business, the average home was about
600 square feet. By the time he retired,
manufactured homes were being built
out to over 2,000 square feet. “The
houses kept getting bigger and more
livable for families,” he said.
In 1999, he appeared in a national TV
commercial for Boston-based Fidelity
Investments. The commercial was
filmed at the cemetery in Normandy,
France and in the fields of Alsdorf,
Germany, near the site where Lagin
had been wounded 54 years earlier.
Now at age 86, Marty is enjoying his
retirement with his wife, Rhoda in La
Quinta.
NOTE: This news feature will appear
regularly. If you have stories of retired
industry/CMHI members, please
submit them to Kim Lear at -
kim@cmhi.org.