LuAnn Ali

LuAnn Ali (Ranke), of Harrisville, Michigan, passed away peacefully at her home on November 25th, after living a very full 67 years of life.

LuAnn was born to Reuben R Ranke Jr, and Rhoda Ranke (Basner) on March 23rd, 1957, in Bad Cannstatt, Germany. She was the second eldest child of the Ranke family, but the oldest girl, assuredly setting into motion her lifelong passion of taking care of people.

As a young girl in a military family, LuAnn moved around a lot with her family, but they eventually settled in Oscoda, Michigan. She graduated from Oscoda High School in 1975 and carries many of her friendships from her school years to this day.

LuAnn would tell you that she lived her life on her terms, always, one of her favorite songs was “Free and easy down the road I go”, she always said that it was a perfect testament to her life.

She loved hard and lived life on her terms but created a life that she always said was hers. She found (and then lost) love many times while creating her life, marrying 3 times: Howard Teelander, Jack Baunack, and Mohammed Ali, but ultimately, she would find solace in her fierce independence, career, travel, hobbies, and family.

LuAnn was born a caretaker, and eventually was able to turn that into a nursing career that spanned over 30 years, and always the midnight shift! LuAnn absolutely loved being a nurse, and in typical fashion found a way to utilize it to propel her adventurous spirit, through years of being a travel nursing. She loved bringing her family along on her adventures, especially her youngest son Kevin, who inherited her love for travel and adventure.

She started her nursing career in West Branch, Michigan, at Tolfree Memorial Hospital, but as a single mom, she often held two jobs, and could also be found working in Home Health, or a local Nursing home during those early years. She was able to spend the last 5 years of her career working in Fort Defiance, Arizona, at a medical center on the reservation. She loved Arizona, and loved living on the reservation. She spent the many years in between, nursing her way through the United States, fueling her wandering spirit. She found adventures in many places from Upper New York state to New York City, as far north as Minot, North Dakota, and as far South as Tucson, Arizona.

If you knew LuAnn, then you knew that the only thing she loved more than taking care of people and being a Nurse, was her kids. Having her kids, Alisha, Eddie, and Kevin were her ultimate legacy in life. She raised all 3 kids in Hale, Michigan, the place she would call “home”. She would often say that her kids were her greatest accomplishment and the best thing she ever did in life. That was until she became a Grandma, her grandkids gave her a joy and pride that was unmatched, even to her kids.

LuAnn had the most unencumbered spirit and was always unapologetically herself. Although she battled many tough battles throughout her life, she truly lived life on her terms. She would give a person the shirt off her back, even if it was the only one, she had, especially because she hated shirts and clothes, but really because she was generous to a fault, and always believed she had enough.

In retirement she was able to fully devote her time to the things she loved: taking care of her son Ed through his battle with Leukemia, dehydrating anything that could be dehydrated and many things that shouldn’t have been, knitting, and watching her shows: MASH, Bones, Little House on the Prairie, anything Disney and anything classic. She loved her old music and would spend time listening to hits like Ballad of the Green Beret, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald but would always pause for a little TuPac or even Scotty McCreery.

LuAnn is survived by her two kids: Alisha (Justin) Tarrance, Kevin (Alexis) Ranke. Her grandkids: Justin Jr, Jaydin, EJ, Grayson and Kinsley. She is also survived by her mom, Rhoda Ranke, and her siblings to which she was very close: Paul Ranke, Joyce Ranke, Audrey (Ron) Eitel, Julie (Troy) LeCuyer, and many Nieces, Nephews, and Great Nieces and Nephews that called her Aunt LuAnn, and she loved very much.

She was reunited in death with her son: Eddie Ranke, whom she lost last year, her dad, Reuben Ranke, and her brother-in-Law, Eddie Eisenhauer.

Per her wishes LuAnn has been cremated, and the family is still deciding on a Celebration of Life, with the date announced later. In lieu of flowers (she hated fresh flowers), the family is asking for donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, or Friends Together in Alpena.