Lydia Blosser

Lydia Blosser (Rindfield) is now waiting for Jesus. Her two sons Clint Blosser and Stephen Blosser will miss her joyous conversations and love for the family. Lydia is the daughter of David and Mary Rindfield who immigrated to the United States from a German-speaking part of Russia around 1918.

This protestant (Lutheran) family was escaping the oppression and terror of Stalin and Hitler. Mary, her mother, was an orphan as a result of some of the conflict. The Rindfield’s started a farm near the end of Kephart Road where the family grew many types of fruit that they sold in the markets in Benton Harbor. Lydia served as the language interpreter for the family as she spoke German and English fluently. In later years, her son, Stephen, remembers visiting Johnson’s News Lobby so his mother could practice her German with Mr. Johnson.

Lydia Rindfield had 9 brothers and sisters. Julius, Albertina, Molly, Dorthy, Adolph, David, Lillian, Evelyn, and Arthur. Lillian is the only sister remaining alive. Lydia enjoyed reminiscing about each sibling and their children. She tells of her attempts to help them, such as hiding Adolph’s beer stash to curb his drinking problem.

The Rindfields were very friendly and welcoming. Guests were always welcome for dinner. She remembers the neighbors, a very polite Al Capone and Louis Campagna often joining for dinner. She was not suspicious of these seemingly kind businessmen until they hired her brother Adolph to dig a tunnel from their home to a boathouse near the river. This tunnel did not continue under the river as some have thought. She also was told about some secret vaults that he made for them near the river for storing valuables. These strange people also hired her boyfriend and soon to be husband, Cecil Blosser to make a radio transmitter in Capones’ car that would open the gate to their property from a mile away. Cecil had a radio shop in Berrien Springs.

Lydia graduated from the Lutheran School on South Mechanic Street. She worked for the military effort during WWII building radios in a shop where the former Don Sprung Chevrolet dealership was located and is now Harding’s Market. The components (resistors, coils, vacuum tubes, capacitors) for these communication devices were all hand soldered in these early years.

In 1935 David Rindfield, Lydia’s father, was mysteriously found dead in the river near their home. He was supposedly drowned when his boat full of firewood sunk. She tells scary stories of the appearance of ghosts the night before that terrorized the entire family.

Lydia became enlightened about bible truths concerning the Sabbath and the hope of Jesus' second coming. She became a Seventh-day Adventist in 1945 and joined the Village SDA Church in Berrien Springs. Lydia married Cecil Blosser in 1946 who preceded her in death in 1994. She is survived by two sons Stephen (Nancy) and Clint (Jan) and three grandsons, Nathan, Andrew and Patrick.

 On the last night of her life (November 28, 2020) she spent with her two sons at her bedside. She verbally initiated a prayer by herself several times. “Dear Jesus, help me -- to God in heaven”

The Lydia Blosser family is not having a funeral service or asking for flowers or gifts. We suggest that you say a prayer and prepare a smile for the day when we all meet Lydia together "where there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying" Revelation 21:4