Lois Lorraine Mickelson Miller...You Will Be Missed!

I first met Lorraine when Dean and I, with little Billy in tow (barely 2-years-old), came to Oregon on a vacation.  It was late June or early July, 1986.  Lorraine is Dean's Dad's 1st Cousin.  They were raised close together in Minnesota.  They were very close cousins.  Dad would refer to Lorraine as his "kissing cousin!"  I laugh a lot with Bill Mickelson.

Lorraine met us at the airport and became our tour guide and chauffeur.   I had never been to Oregon, so I was taking it all in.  She drove us up the beautiful, wide Columbia River in her new Mercedes Benz Sedan.  Our first stop was the Dam, where we watched the salmon swimming up river and through the "ladders" to get to the other side of the dam and to their spawning place.  I saw my very first sturgeon--a great fish they had in a special pool at the dam.  It was huge!  It was the size of a small dolphin!

She drove us to Multnomah Falls, where I saw the painting that my Mom and Dad had given me for my home in California in 1970 come to life.  I was enthralled with its beauty--especially learning that it was really a place in Oregon.

She took us to lunch at a wonderful restaurant (whose name has escaped me) situated in the trees.  I think it was an old logging camp at one time.  NOTE:  Going out to eat was one of Lorraine's favorite things to do.  Every visit included a wonderful lunch somewhere.  The Truffle House, Heidi's, Elmer's or The Olive Garden were some of her favorites.

For the 4th of July, we drove to a lake (not sure where it was...it was dark and I did not know the area) to watch the fireworks over the water.  It was a wonderful display and even little Billy oo'd and ah'd with every new explosion.

From that first meeting with Lorraine, I knew I loved Oregon--and I knew Lorraine was a special person.  As the years unfolded, I grew to love her as family, friend, a sister who loved the Lord as much as I do, and as a woman I looked up to for her candor, her intelligence, her love for her husband, whom she served 'till the day he died, and her special bond with her two nephews, Dean (my husband) and David (his brother).  Those boys were like the sons she was never blessed with.

I also watched her bond with her three grand nephews, Billy and Eliot (our sons) and Zachary (David's son).  She was an educator and never missed an opportunity to teach any and all of those boys in her life.  Books were her favorite gift to them at Christmas or a birthday.  NOTE:  David has two other children: April and Eric, but I was never privileged to see their relationship with Lorraine.  They were older and lived far, far away.

Lorraine with Dean Billy and Eliot

Lorraine and Eliot

Lorraine with Zachary and Miriam

I loved Lorraine.  We were always welcomed guests in her home. We lovingly called her home "Lorraine's Inn."  She would beam whenever we came to visit.  She loved to share her latest achievement with genealogy--and we shall forever be grateful to her for the many hours of work she put into that work so we could treasure the family ties we have.

She loved her garden and loved to show it off.  I was always so amazed at the beauty she created in her yard.  Of course, Dean's favorite part of her garden were the flourishing blueberry bushes.  We picked them, froze them and enjoyed them through the winter.  That became an annual event for us.  Lorraine always made us a delicious blueberry compote on berry picking visits, and then she served it hot over toast,.  Yummy!

Lorraine with Lori in her garden

Dean and Lori in Lorraine's Garden

The past year has been a hard one for the Mickelson family, as we watched her health fail to the point that she became bedridden in the Gresham Care Facility.  We visited as often as we were able--but looking back, it wasn't nearly often enough.

Billy and Ingrid, hugging Lorraine

Lorraine with Eliot
Look at that smile on her face!

Lorraine with Dean, Billy and Eliot

Lorraine with Lori

Dean with Lorraine

We will forever miss you, Lorraine.  You are forever in our hearts and our cherished memories.  We look forward to the day when we will all be together again in God's Kingdom.  We will miss your "Inn," your delicious blueberry's on toast, your garden, the warmth of your hearth, and most of all, we will miss your warm smile that greeted us with every visit.  Lorraine left this earthly sphere on Saturday, September 6, 2014...just days before her 88th birthday.