Loraine Wallace

December 17, 1930 - October 12, 2012

Loraine Marie (Christensen) Wallace, age 81, of Lakefield, MN, formerly of Spirit Lake, IA, died Friday, October 12, 2012 at Colonial Manor Nursing Home in Lakefield. Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00A.M. Tuesday, October 16, 2012, at St Mary's Catholic Church, Spirit Lake. Visitation will be held one hour before the service Tuesday. Burial will be at St Margaret's Cemetery following the service. Schuchert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be given to St Mary's Catholic Church, the Northern Iowa Prairie Lakes Chapter of the Audubon Society or Jackson County Hospice. Loraine was born in Coon Rapids, IA on December 17, 1930 to Peter and Clara (Kult) Christensen. Her childhood years were blessed by members of her large extended family who lived nearby. She attended school in Coon Rapids and graduated in 1948. Soon after, her family moved to Spirit Lake, IA where she worked with her parents at their resort and also did clerical work for attorney, K B Welty, and Dr. Kenneth Clayton. Loraine married Lynn E. Wallace on May 11, 1951 in Spirit Lake. Together they raised five children and farmed in rural Dickinson County until their retirement in 1995. Loraine was committed to her faith and was an active member of St Mary's Catholic Church. Throughout her life, she enjoyed many hobbies and interests including reading, writing, knitting, crocheting, gardening, and especially bird-watching and traveling. One of Loraine's best known accomplishments was her humorous weekly column in the Spirit Lake Beacon titled "The Farmer's Wife". Loraine and husband, Lynn, were passionate conservationists who participated in Audubon Society bird counts throughout the United States. In retirement, she and Lynn enjoyed traveling the country by car, motorcycle, and motorhome. She loved nature, her family, and friends, old and new. She will be missed by many. Loraine is survived by her five children; Greg Wallace of Phoenix, AZ, Doug (Deb) Wallace of Omaha, NE, Jane Bujanovich of Granby, CO, Cathie (Larry) Vancura of Lakefield, MN, and Connie Leimer of Hermosa, SD; 15 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; brother Joe (Lois) Christensen of Mapleton, IA and sister, Karen Christensen of Kremmling, Colorado; and many nieces and nephews. Loraine was preceded in death by her husband, Lynn; her parents; and brother, Cleo Christensen.