Joyce Lorraine Nofsinger

She is survived by her two sons, Kent of the Denver Colorado area, and Kirk of Dallas Texas, their wives, Jean and Vickie, six grandchildren (and 5 spouses), eleven great-grandchildren, and four nieces and nephews and their families. She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, and her husband of nearly 69 years.

Lorraine was born in Dallas, Texas to Amelia Joyce Rhodes and Alphonso Levi Rhodes. The family soon included two younger sisters, Joy and Ruth. By the time Lorraine entered school, the family had moved to Kansas City, Kansas, where her father worked as a butcher for the local grocery store, and her mother helped with bookkeeping on the weekends. The three girls nicknamed each other, and Joy became Chitty, Ruth became Oopie, and Lorraine became Rain. Chitty, Oopie, and Rain each had a small wardrobe having a single pair of inexpensive shoes, and a single dress. However, the three of them apparently never lacked finding adventure, whether it was running the occasional errand for the local movie theater owner, keeping a small flock of chickens in their urban yard, or playing at the nearby stone quarry. Being perceptive, Lorraine listened to her uncle as he related turning a jar of fireflies loose in the movie theater while the featured movie was on. Perhaps because of their quarry experiences and the experiences of family members, Lorraine was always cautious about what her children were doing! The chickens seemed to be a source of ongoing entertainment. The rooster would drag its wing menacingly along the sidewalk as a pedestrian walked by the house, a “guard rooster”. On one of the few times the family went on a vacation, they sold the chickens. They anticipated relief on the part of the neighbors that the rooster was no longer crowing at the crack of dawn in this urban community. They were surprised that when they returned home, there was a petition signed by the neighbors to get more chickens!

Lorraine excelled in the orchestra in junior high school and became the concertmistress violinist. She kept her violin all her life. Kent was ready to sell the piece of junk at a garage sale and hoped to get $20. Lorraine and Jenny, one of her granddaughters, found that the old violin had been signed inside. She took the violin to a local antique music specialist, found that the violin was 200 years old, made by a student of Stradivarius, and if repaired, was worth thousands of dollars. Lorraine stopped talking to Kent about the value of her antiques!

Occasionally Lorraine went to the local roller-skating rink. On one occasion, when she was about 14, she met a young farmer, Dean, from a neighboring county. There was a spark, and over the next few years, they dated. Love grew, and upon graduating from high school, they married. World War II was on, and Dean, her new husband of four months, was shipped off to Okinawa. The clock at Union Station in Kansas City always had a special meaning for her as she saw her husband shipped off to war and later returned to that point.

After the war, the young couple settled in Ottawa, Kansas, where Dean was a banker and Lorraine worked in the home. Lorraine’s sense of humor was on display when she sewed the flap of her landlord’s one-piece pajamas closed! Feeling guilty, Lorraine confessed her youthful prank to the landlord’s wife. The lady was relieved, and exclaimed, “I am so glad you told me, he is having abdominal problems!”

Over time, Kent and Kirk were born. The family moved to Merriam, Kansas, and then to Lawrence, Kansas for Dean’s job. When the boys were in middle school, they moved to Overland Park. They worshipped at Blue Ridge Boulevard Church of Christ, which later moved to its present location at Gregory Boulevard. She was a member there for about 50 years. Lorraine often served in the kitchen at church, and was often teased because of her slow, methodical approach -not only in the kitchen but in life. She accepted the good-natured teasing and was often a part of any project that didn’t have an impending deadline. She loved traveling with friends and family.

As the boys grew older, Lorraine wisely had a cake or pie on weekends so that the boys would want to bring their dates over for a late-night snack instead of spending extra time in the car at the park. To this day, various members of the family will prepare her recipes for orange sticky buns, lemon meringue pie and biscuits. Once the boys went off to college, she worked for two years as a technician for an ophthalmologist, and thereafter, a couple of years as a receptionist for ADM. Ever the homemaker, she encouraged the boys in their interests – what were they learning in school, who were their friends, what were their interests? When they began dating in high school, Kent’s girlfriend Jean, began to see the Nofsinger’s as a functional family unit, and was anxious to learn from them. Both Jean and Vickie have called her “Mom”.

Lorraine possessed a sharp wit. Several years ago, Kirk picked her up in an SUV and he noticed the seat was in the full forward position. He started to adjust it but opted not to as she was in the process of being seated. Thereafter, she asked if she could move the seat back and Kirk said that he had started to move it back as she was getting in, but didn’t want to jerk her while getting in. She stopped, looked at him and said, “You’ve been jerking me around since the day you were born!”

When she was not working at home or helping at church, Lorraine took care of her grandmother, her mother, and her stepfather in the months and years before their deaths. In later years, Dean began to develop dementia. Lorraine cared for him at home for about eight years until he required hospitalization shortly before he passed away. She possessed a caring, loving servant heart.

Shortly after Dean’s death, Lorraine left her dear state of Kansas and moved to the Denver area to be closer to immediate family. She became a member of the Littleton Church of Christ. She was respected and loved by many and was called “Mom” by some of the members. She had her own apartment and drove until about 5 months before her passing. In accordance with her hopes and prayers, Lorraine passed into the presence of the Lord after being hospitalized and in hospice for only nine days.

She was a student of the Bible. Her questions and perspective often required a studied response. Lorraine excelled as a good listener, was not self-absorbed, cared about others, and made others feel that they were valuable and loved. Her Godly example, sharp wit, stream of questions, intelligent evaluation and willingness to change her mind, and encouraging presence will be greatly missed.

Lorraine’s funeral will be at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64131, at 11:00 AM, September 21, 2004, with visitation one hour earlier. Burial will take place in Mount Moriah Cemetery South.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to contribute to: Littleton Church of Christ, 6495 S Colorado Blvd., Centennial CO 80121, 303-741-0265 and/or Denver Rescue Mission, 6100 Smith Road, Denver, CO 80216, 303-297-1815; and/or Gregory Blvd Church of Christ, 7109 Raytown Rd, Raytown, MO 64133, 816-356-1262.