Lorraine "Wessie" Temanson

When Lorraine K. "Wessie" Temanson walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Lorraine was and how she impacted those around her. She was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if she wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Lorraine was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Lorraine was born on May 19, 1923 at St. Cloud, Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota. She was the daughter of August and Elizabeth Wessendorf. Lorraine was raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Always ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew her might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that she was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Lorraine was raised with one brother, one sister and two half brothers. She had one brother Alfred Wessendorf, one sister Elizabeth "Betty" Paragas and two half brothers Arnold and Leo Kahlert. She was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Lorraine was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Lorraine well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Lorraine was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Lorraine was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Lorraine loved swimming in the Mississippi River and in her spare time she liked to read. Lorraine's memorable achievements included caring for her mother. Lorraine had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

During her high school years, Lorraine responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from Cathedral High School, St. Cloud, Minnesota in 1940. Lorraine was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Lorraine absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Lorraine, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Lorraine a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything. Her favorite class in high school was History.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Lorraine was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Lorraine was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, her best friend was Ginny Fassler. Later in life, she became friends with Janet and Clovis Ogeron, Lorine Siedel, Elsie Steffan, Mille from Cypress Court and Leona and Jan from the Orchard Apartments.

On April 26, 1947 Lorraine married Milton L. Temanson in Allen County, Indiana. Lorraine's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Milton's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Lorraine was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Lorraine was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Lorraine, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Temanson home. Lorraine's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Lorraine was blessed with three children: Cory Dean Temanson, Karen Lee Temanson Eckelberg and Joyce Ann Temanson (Mike) Reimnitz. They were also blessed with four grandchildren, Tammy Eckelberg, Terry (Danae) Eckelberg, Karrie (Mike) Schelin and Tim (Becky) Eckelberg, as well as six great grandchildren Madison, Kinsey, Makenna, Macy, Cannon and Avery.

Lorraine was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. She was employed as a waitress Stoffers. During WWII, she built airplanes and worked in a pharmacuetical company. She also worked in a shirt factory as a sales clerk and had a home daycare for up to 10 children a day. Lorraine was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Lorraine had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Lorraine's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Lorraine loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were knitting, sewing, upholstery work, swimming and reading. Lorraine had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Lorraine's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Lorraine derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Recreational sports included swimming and bowling. Lorraine was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity.

Throughout her life, Lorraine was actively involved in professional and community organizations. She was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Lorraine seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Lorraine usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with her, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Throughout her later years, Lorraine was an active member of the LWML, choir, Girl Scout Leader and Honorary Girl Scout grandma.

Because Lorraine was constantly in the center of things and where the action was, she always seemed willing to join in and help, regularly getting involved in community activities. Lorraine's gift of planning and improvisation, along with a talent for rallying support, made her a great asset. Lorraine found new ways of getting things done in order to help make just about every activity more efficient and enjoyable. Lorraine was an active member of several community groups, serving on committees for the Halliday Volunteer Fire Dept.,Greenthumb program helping elderly stay in their home and helping senior citizens in Csatle Rock, Colorado.

Lorraine was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member St. Luke Lutheran Church, Mesa AZ. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Lorraine's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned her accolades for her many lifelong efforts. Some of her most prestigious awards included Best Sales at Kingsville Naval Air Base Exchange.

Lorraine's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Lorraine took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included a trip to Hawaii, several camper trips to Canada, travelling around the United Staes with Milt in a summer as well as the trips around the U. S. and Japan with her husband career. Lorraine's husband Milton was in the Navy for 21 years, during that time the family had moved about very 3-4 years, living in Osaka, Japan; Chincoteague, Virginia; Pennsecola, Florida; Chula Vista, California; Kingsville, Texas and when it came time for retirement from the military, they moved to Halliday, North Dakota where Milt taught Music at the school.

Lorraine was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Dogs: Peaches, Brandy and Buffy and cats: Bubba & Sissy.

When Lorraine's retirement finally came in 1995, Lorraine handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Lorraine to master. Her new life involved relocating to Halliday, North Dakota. In retirement, she found continued pleasure in attending church activities, quilting and reading. Even in retirement, Lorraine continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Lorraine Temanson passed away on June 15, 2010 at Banner Baywood Medical Center, Mesa, AZ. She is survived by her daughters Karen and Joyce her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Services will be held at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 807 North Stapley Drive, Mesa, AZ. Lorraine will be laid to rest in Underwood City Cemetery, Underwood, ND.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Lorraine. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Lorraine Temanson for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Lorraine was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.