Lorraine Mary Henry

Lorraine was born in Owatonna, Minnesota. She was the only child of Leo and Eleanor Schmanski. In 1932 during the Great Depression her family moved to Cresco, Iowa and opened"Leo's Gift and Jewelry" store. In 1934 her father passed away from rheumatic fever which he had contracted while serving in the military in Europe during the Great War (World War I). Lorraine graduated from the College of Saint Theresa in Winona, MN. She dual majored in Mathematics and Business Administration. After college she held various jobs, math teacher, marketing research and bookkeeping. She married Gaylord Henry in 1953. Lorraine became a “military wife” when Gaylord joined the Marine Corp. They were stationed at Quantico and then at Camp Pendleton. After leaving the Marine Corp they moved to San Diego in 1956 and then to La Jolla in 1962. Lorraine and Gaylord had three children, Marie, Anne and Douglas. Her greatest joy was being a mother and grandmother. Her grandchildren called her “Sweet Grandma Henry”. Lorraine was strong, kind, caring, sentimental, brave, independent and she loved to laugh. She loved her MacNeil/Lehrer Report and 60 Minutes. She loved her family, gardening and ice cream. She taught by example. She was proud of her Minnesota roots and Polish ancestry. Lorraine enjoyed doing volunteer work while her children were growing up including: Brownie Leader; Girl Scout Leader, Cub Scout Leader; and San Diego Superior Court Tour Guide. Lorraine loved God, the Holy Catholic Church, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through her unwavering faith she provided endless strength and selfless love making her the cornerstone of our family as beloved daughter, mother and grandmother. She is survived by her Children: Marie Therese Dempewolf; Anne Cecile Henry; and Douglas Leo Henry (wife: Brenda Lee Henry) Grandchildren: Sarah Elizabeth Dempewolf; Steven Reuel Dempewolf; Christina Marie Henry; and Kathryn Lorraine Henry. Memories of Granddaughter Sarah Elizabeth Dempewolf - Christmas Eve at grandma's as a little girl may be the happiest I could ever be. She created a warm, dreamy, loving home to celebrate in that resulted in pure Christmas magic. - I also enjoyed getting to go hunt for our Easter baskets there since she always got the BEST sugar cookies to put in them. - She taught me how to bake, and to clean as I go so I don't have a big mess when I'm done. To this day baking is one of my very favorite things to do, it's like meditation. And I still clean as I go. She DID tell me that I shouldn't eat the cake mix due to the raw egg...which I still think about as I go rogue and eat a little of it & hope she wasn't right. - Every time we backed out of the driveway to go to the park or Basin Robbins or run an errand she would say "Here we go, slow as turtles", which I say sometimes for fun. Or if I want to get somewhere fast, I modify it to "here we go quick as bunnies". Every time she said it I would get lost in images of a family of turtles leaving her driveway or turtles racing down the hill. - I enjoyed her taking us to the park so we could play in the big rocket ship. - I loved her huge yellow bowl of crayons. - She always made me my favorite strawberry cake for my birthday. - I remember laying down to take naps and reading the "now I lay me down to sleep" pillow & sometimes she would say it for me. - She made the best "cheese eggs". - I felt special when I got to eat sitting at the mint-colored counter. I distinctly recall eating SpaghettiOs there and feeling pretty cool. - Her house was the best place for pretend. - I, also, remember her mentioning the moon and wondering if that's why she had that light over the dining table, because it looked like a moon. - She wrote me a few letters after I moved out of state and I recall writing her back, we mostly spoke about the weather differences. It seems she missed making snowmen. - I'm not much of a hugger. But I would always let her get one and her grandma smooch on the cheek. She's one person in life that I always respected and tried not to sass, even in my teenage years. Because she's grandma, and she was on a different level to me.