Obituary of Lorraine Florence Flesher

Lorraine Flesher (nee DuRand), 97, of West St. Paul, Minnesota passed away on January 12, 2024, surrounded by family members at her hospital bedside.

Lorraine was born on April 16, 1926, to Joseph and Sarah DuRand in St. Paul, Minnesota. She attended Cathedral elementary school and graduated from St. Agnes High School. Her smile and beautiful black hair helped her become homecoming queen at St. Agnes. She became a bookkeeper at Midway Bank in St. Paul, and was notorious for making sure her entries always balanced….a skill she maintained well into her 90s.

She met William A. Flesher in 1947, and they were married in 1948. Bill was just getting started in the meat industry after his military service, and as a result they quickly moved to Merrill, Wisconsin to start their new life together. As a salesman and future sales and marketing executive, the Fleshers moved a number of times, including homes in South St. Paul, St. Paul(multiple), Grand Rapids, Michigan, Denison, Iowa and finally West St. Paul, Minnesota. However, St. Paul always had the lure of home for them. They went on to have four children, Dan, Susan, Mark, and Mary. While Bill was often on the road, Lorraine was the family matriarch and the ultimate stay-at-home parent. She was the homework taskmaster, the keeper of the checkbook, and occasionally the disciplinarian…since her kids were near perfect, of course.

Lorraine’s heart and soul was with family, and she had an amazing ability to tell stories from her childhood and DuRand lineage and then relate them to current activities with her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. She was extremely close to her siblings, Esther, Rich, Hank, Gert, Marge, Marie, Corrine and Leo. They talked often and occasionally got together for raucous 500 card games and general hooting and hollering. The extended DuRand family offered

plenty of opportunities for cousins’ outings, weddings, and sadly funerals in her later years.

One of Lorraine’s most cherished moments was to hold the newest additions in her arms, study the newborn’s face, hands and feet and then declare who they looked like within the family.

Her simple pleasures included gardening, bird watching, creating hot dishes, and of course helping to support and nurture her growing family. She welcomed grandchildren Neal, Scott, Dawn, Jason, Danielle, Justin, Alex, Meghan, Kaitlyn, and Erin. Her great grandchildren include Hunter, Justin, Jordan, Lenny, Ethan, Savannah, Aydenn, Camille, Lars, Cormac, Emma, Grayson, Sadie, Jack, Josh, Sam, Jace, Norah and Mark. Her amazing memory allowed her to track each of her offspring, remembering birthdays, and special events.

Lorraine also had a special place in her heart for her nieces and nephews, including Donna, Vickie, Linda, Cheryl and of course many others.

Lorraine is survived by son, Dan Flesher (Regina); daughters Susan Jungbauer (Tom) and Mary Colburn (Rod); and daughter-in-law Deborah Flesher (nee O’Hearn).

Lorraine is currently enjoying her time in Heaven, reconnecting with Bill, her son Mark, and grandchildren Justin and Danielle, son-in-law Ed Jungbauer, along with her siblings and parents. Rumor has it that she will be assisting with the care of the heavenly gardens as well as balancing St. Peter’s ledgers. Her story continues in our hearts.