Lorraine M. Yates

Lorraine Margaret Yates, born on April 26, 1930 in Pontiac, Michigan and passed away March 17, 2015 in White Lake, Michigan was the oldest of four children born to Ernest and Elizabeth Gehrke. Despite the difficulties of growing up in the aftermath of the big crash of ‘29 and onset of WWII, Lorraine thrived in school, went on to Normal school to pursue a teaching career. In 1950, she met and married her beloved husband, Robert, to whom she was married for 49 years. She raised four children, taught kindergarten and later obtained her Master’s degree in elementary education. After 30 years of teaching, she retired.

Her second vocation was her involvement in her church, Unity of Livonia. In her mid-fifties, she became a licensed Unity teacher and served in several Unity churches in nearby communities. The Unity community was a special and wonderful part of her life. In addition to church service she was active in so many other ways, she volunteered at school helping out in the classrooms and also at Neighbor for Neighbor, a local food bank charity. She was an avid gardener and loved to sit in her gazebo reading and listening to the birds and sounds of nature.

Lorraine was a gentle, kind and loving soul and very dear to hundreds of friends, family and neighbors. She will be dearly missed by each. Her parents, siblings and beloved husband have preceded her in death and they welcome and guide her now. Her children, David Allen Yates, Kathryn Ann Terrazas, James Arthur Yates, Margaret Ann Davis, her grandchildren, Amanda, Antonia, Robert, Danny, Megan and Michael, and her great grandchildren Téa, Riley and Vincent all grieve the loss of her presence here with us.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Neighbor for Neighbor Food Bank: http://www.neighborforneighbor.net/donation_form.htm or to Unity Village at https://shop.unityonline.org/Give/Donation.aspx?id=6&PromotionCode=WA870001

Funeral Visitation will be held Friday, March 20, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the Funeral Service at 2:00 p.m. at the Union Lake Chapel of the Elton Black & Son Funeral Home, 1233 Union Lake Rd., White Lake. Share a memory at www.eltonblackandsonwhitelake.com