Lorraine E. Keller
February 14, 2012
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Service Details
Lorraine Evelyn Keller, 82, died Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at Regency Care Center in Norwalk from pulmonary fibrosis.
Lorraine was born August 31, 1929 to Carol and Margaret Carlson in Rockford, Illinois. She retired from the Des Moines Register in 1995 after 20 years of service. She worked part-time with the newspaper’s marketing department from 1997 to 2001. Lorraine was a member of the Des Moines Knitting Guild and volunteered with hospice, Harbor of Hope, and many events through the Des Moines Register including RAGBRAI and the 20 Year Club. She was an avid supporter of many animal humane societies.
Lorraine is survived by her sons, Jeffrey (Crystal) Maney of Rockford, IL and Joel (Sandy) Maney of Coral Springs, Fl; step-daughter, Judith (Jack) Keller Schlesselman of Belle Plaine, IA; grandchildren, Jacob (JoAnna) Maney of Norfolk, VA, Jessica (Mat) Parker of Rockford, IL, Carmen (John) Turner of Rockford, IL, Austin and Julia Maney of Coral Springs, FL, Laura Schlesselman of Evansville, WI, Gina Schlesselman of Denver, CO, and Joanna (Jeremy) Ruddick of Marshalltown, IA; eight great-grandchildren; sister, Phyllis Ring of Fort Collins, CO; special cousin, Marilyn Parker of Rockford, IL; and a host of other family and beloved friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and husband, Weldon C. “Bob” Keller.
A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, February 26, 2012 at Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home, 5400 SW 9th Street.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to an animal humane society of the donor’s choice, HCI Care Services of Central Iowa, the American Cancer Society, or an organization of the donor’s choice.
Online condolences may be sent to
www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com
The Brunner family
05/05/2012
I just heard about Lorraine, and im so very sorry for your loss, she was a wonderful women to have known for so many years. I was glad to have kept in touch with her after we moved back from wisconsin and i loved seeing her while she was at Fareway all the time. I will truly miss her!
Cynthia Fisher
03/07/2012
I just heard about Lorraine's passing last night at the meeting of the DM Knitting Guild. I was so sorry to hear this. I was so fond of Lorraine. She was always so cheerful and fun to be with. She had such a heart for knitting for various charities and for animals. I will be making a donation in her memory to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. My heart goes out to you at your loss. She was truly a very special lady and my life was blessed to have known her.
ron&sandy brenizer
02/21/2012
we have been freinds and like family since we moved in across from you 40yrs ago you have whatched our four children grow up you keep track of all of them along with there children and there children you had a big family hear who will miss you terrabily our four children turned into 17 grandkids and 8 great yoo knew all there names and would ask about all the time they all looked at you as trere grandma Butch who took care of making sure your driveway cleaned even whwn you no more drive he loves you so and as growing up he loved coming over to visit with you and bob we will never find a friend like you again god bless you and all you family love you and will always be in our hearts
steve & liz
02/21/2012
Jeff & Crys -
Love to you both as you go through this challenging time. You know our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Steve & Liz Bergstrom
Jane Schorer Meisner
02/19/2012
Lorraine and I worked side by side for 7.5 years, and she was a very special friend. She always talked about her family and how proud she was of her grandchildren's accomplishments!
Lorraine enjoyed doing embroidery, so once I asked her if she would like to have some old, old stamped tea towels that were among my late mother's things. They were terribly yellowed with age.
Some time later -- maybe a year or two -- Lorraine gave me a beautifully wrapped gift for my birthday. I opened it to find a stack of maybe 10 of the most delightful old-fashioned embroideried tea towels. They were sparkling white with cute kitten patterns stitched in the corners. What a unique and wonderful gift! Then something clicked in my memory. "These aren't ...?" I asked. And Lorraine said, "Yes they are. They are your mother's tea towels."
She had worked and worked on them, soaking them over and over in bleach to turn them from yellow to white. Then she had painstakenly embroidered the designs on each one and returned them to me in memory of my mother, who had
died years before when I was 24 years old. Of course, I burst into tears.
That was perhaps the most thoughtful, caring gift I have ever received. And that was totally representative of Lorraine. I loved her dearly and will never forget her friendship.
I regret that I am scheduled to be out of town on Feb. 26 and cannot attend Lorraine's memorial service. She and all of you will certainly be in my thoughts that day.
Bea Lincoln
02/18/2012
So sorry to hear of your loss. Just know that you now have a guardian angel watching over all of you.
Chuck Offenburger
02/17/2012
I'll forever think of Lorraine as a classy, calm and steady presence, working effectively and efficiently keeping everything on track in the Des Moines Register newsroom. Often, when the news would get wild, there'd be absolute chaos breaking out all all around her. In those harried moments, we editors and reporters always seemed to be a lot more rattled than Lorraine was. She always seemed to keep her sense of humor, too, but heck, she might have just been laughing AT us! We'll all miss her.