Obituary of Lorraine B. Kufner

Lorraine Bernice Kufner passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on June 13, 2016 at the age of 92. Lorraine was born to Lawrence and Effie (Winges) Anderson on November 16, 1923, in St. Paul, Minnesota. When Lorraine was five years old, her father died in a car accident. Lorraine, her mother, and younger brother, Ralph, moved to Rush City, Minnesota, to live with her maternal grandparents, William and Clara Winges, on the family farm. Lorraine attended grade school at the Brickyard country school in Rush City and spoke about helping on the farm after school and during the summer. When Effie married William Hancock, the family moved back to St. Paul. Lorraine attended school at Jefferson Junior High School and graduated in 1937. She graduated from Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul in 1941. On April 4, 1942, Lorraine married George Robert Kufner in St. Paul. On January 21, 1943, they had a son, George Robert, Jr. They later divorced and Lorraine remained in St. Paul and raised her son as a single Mom. Lorraine loved to dance and often joined her friend, Irene, for an evening out when Irene’s husband, Pete, played with his old time polka band. She also enjoyed embroidery, playing cribbage, and collecting stamps. She was an avid reader and fostered a love of reading in her grandchildren. Each time they went to visit, she took them on a bus ride to a local bookstore to pick out books to bring home. Her work career included a job at a St. Paul company that made fishing lures, which delighted son George when he received a large selection of lures for Christmas one year. She also worked for Pearson Candy Company until they moved to a new location. In 1967, Lorraine went to work for the State of Minnesota, Dept of Education, as clerical support for their teacher licensing division, and retired from there in 1988. She often said that was the best job career move she ever made. Church was a big part of Lorraine’s life. She was a member of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul for 42 years, and spent many hours volunteering for coffee hours, soup suppers, funeral lunches, and keeping the church kitchen clean & organized. In 1999, Lorraine moved to Carefree Senior Living in Maplewood, where she lived until her death. She met many new friends and enjoyed taking short trips, going for coffee on Tuesdays, and special lunches throughout the year. Lorraine was preceded in death by parents, Lawrence Anderson & Effie Anderson Hancock; stepfather, William Hancock; brother, Ralph Anderson and nephew, Gary Anderson. She is survived by son, George (Marlys); grandsons, Curt (Tonia), Tom & Chris (Wendy); great-grandsons, Garrett, Max & Matthew Kufner; great-granddaughters, Amanda & Sarah Kufner; sister-in-law, Dorothy Anderson, nieces, Colleen (Leo) Majewski and Nancy Anderson, also grandnieces and grandnephews. Funeral Service 10 AM Saturday, June 18 at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 901 Portland Ave., St. Paul. Visitation one hour prior to service at church. Interment Oakland Cemetery. Memorials preferred to St. Clement’s Episcopal Church or the American Red Cross. To leave a comment on the Guestbook: 1. Click on theJoin the discussion 2. Type in you comment. 3. Enter Name & email. 4. There is no need to login just click the small square“I’d rather post as a guest”. 5. Clicknext.