Angele Niemen

Angele Niemen was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a woman that persevered, worked hard, and looked after her family. She never complained about what life threw at her. Her story is the American dream, but it didn't come without sacrifice and determination.
Angele (birth name Agnese Chemello) was born in Casoni, Vincenza Italy on August 4,1939 to Bernardina and Giuseppe Chemello. Angele's childhood was not an easy one, as she was born at the end of The Great Depression and then, when she was only two, her father died unexpectantly.
After the premature death of her father, Angele's mother struggled to support the family. Older siblings were put to work, but in 1946 Angele, and a few of the younger siblings, were sent to an orphanage. Angele lived there from 1946 – 1951. She didn't talk about this time much, but it often came up whenever someone served her beets. "Beets!" She would say, "I hate beets! They always made us eat them in the orphanage!"
While Angele was being cared for at the orphanage, and later by her cousins, her older siblings were working on a plan to get the family to America. Eventually her brother, Louis, sent for his siblings, and the three of them, without an adult chaperone, boarded a ship sailing for New York City. Angele was 13 years old. She said that when she arrived in New York, a relative pointed to a nearby hot dog stand and asked if she wanted one. She replied, "Dog? I don't care if they eat these in America, I am not going to eat a dog!"
Eventually the family settled together in Michigan and Angele attended Cody High School in Detroit until dropping out in 11th grade to attend Beauty School.
One day, while attending a beauty convention, she met Mike. Angele was modeling hair styles and Mike was shampooing hair. She mentioned that she was trying to sell her old car and Mike claimed that he knew of a buyer. They exchanged phone numbers and were married the following June in 1958. She later said, "He never did have a buyer for my car."
Together, they opened their first business-Niemen's Hair Fashion. A time in Angele's life that was filled with love and laughter. During this time, they were also blessed with three daughters: Kim, Julie, and Michelle. She often laughed when telling the stories of her daughters being born saying, "Mike just dropped me off at the door with my suitcase and then he headed back to work. The nurses thought I was an unwed mother."
In 1970, Mike and Angele were making enough money that they could move their family from Detroit to Troy. Years later, they decided they wanted another challenge-running a restaurant. They called some family members, took out a loan, and together opened Herc's Beef Buffet. After the success of Herc's, they also opened Herc's Beef and Spirits, and The Lion's Den in Waterford, MI-one of the first sports bars in the area.
Mike and Angele worked hard for their life, their children, and their future. Their determination and ingenuity eventually gave them the retirement they deserved. They spent many happy years at their Florida condominium in Jupiter Island. Angele loved to golf, fish, and entertain. If you were lucky enough to visit her, Angele would always whip up a gourmet meal, even though she'd apologize that it wasn't much.
Angele Niemen, Age 85, passed away December 12, 2024, after many long years battling dementia. She was lovingly cared for by her daughters, but especially Julie, who took care of her in the family home for many years. She was also blessed with wonderful caregivers. Her final days were spent living at "House of Angels," an adult foster care facility that kept her comfortable and loved until her last breath.
Angele was a loving wife and best friend to Mike for fifty-six wonderful years. She raised three beautiful girls: Kim (Warren), Julie, and Michelle (Frank) and loved spending time with her four grandsons: Grant, Geoffrey, Jake, and Luke. Her legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone she met.