Lorraine Marie Klehr Borka, longtime resident of Prior Lake, passed away Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at the age of 91. A visitation will be held Monday, March 12, 2018 from 3-7PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation, Prior Lake. Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at 11AM with a visitation from 9:30-10:45AM all at St. Michael Catholic Church, Prior Lake. Lorraine will be laid to rest at St. Michael Catholic Cemetery. Father Tom Walker will preside.
On July 27, 1926, parents Jacob and Theresa (Kersting) Klehr, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Lorraine Marie Klehr. She was the youngest of twelve to be raised on the Klehr farm by Marystown. Unfortunately, when Lorraine was 4 years old her father passed away. Her mother later remarried, and the family moved into Marystown. From a young age, Lorraine had a sense of humor and often played pranks on her siblings. Consequently, she also became skilled at running and hiding when they became upset with her.
Lorraine attended Marystown Catholic School until the 8th grade before striking out on her own. By age 17 she was the manager of National Tea Grocery Store in Shakopee. Always motivated, Lorraine knew she didn’t need higher education to succeed. On September 12, 1944, Lorraine was married to Norbert Borka at St. Mary of the Purification.
Along with her husband, Lorraine later ran her own business—Borka’s Lawn Ornaments & Gift Shop. What began as a cement business, grew into Lorraine’s passion. Wanting to keep employees busy in the winter months, Lorraine encouraged them to make lawn ornaments. Realizing they had little interest in this, Lorraine began doing it herself despite being a full-time mother and volunteer at the VFW.
As Lorraine’s family grew, they moved from Shakopee to Prior Lake. Lorraine loved spending time with her family, especially cooking and playing music for them on Sundays—despite never having a music lesson, Lorraine was extremely musical. She loved a good polka! In the last weeks of Lorraine’s life, she spent countless hours with her family, telling her grandchildren and great-grandchildren stories from her life.
Lorraine taught her family many lessons about working hard, having fun, and maintaining faith. As a devout Catholic, Lorraine prayed the rosary daily for her family. This gave her strength when facing the hardship of her husband’s death in 1993, her son Larry’s death in 2000, and her own brief struggle with Leukemia. When Lorraine was unable to attend church, she watched mass on the TV.
Three things mattered most to Lorraine—her family, the gift shop, and volunteering at the VFW. While Norbert was deployed, Lorraine vowed that if he returned she’d dedicate her time to veterans. Fulfilling her vow, Lorraine was active in the Ladies Auxiliary on the local, state, and national level. She served as the president of the Prior Lake Auxiliary three times, district president from 1977-1988, and the state president from 1987-1988. Through the auxiliary, Lorraine also served from 1990-1991 and 1993-1994 as the National Rehabilitation Director and from 1991-1992 as the National Hospital Director.
Lorraine was a go-getter who had many hobbies. She loved making and painting lawn ornaments and wall plaques, doing embroidery, gardening, fishing, canning, and playing bingo. Lorraine was notoriously lucky. She traveled as far as Hong Kong and Rome where she was privileged to have met Pope John Paul II.
Lorraine was a class act—she never left home without her hair and makeup done. She was generous, kind and always found the good in others. She was fiercely motivated to give her time and talents to family, friends, and community.
She will be missed by her by children, Darlene (John) Richardson, Karen (Leo Dorn) Seifert, Duane Borka, Mary Kay (Tim) Wagner; 14 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Betty Haugh.
She is greeted in Heaven by her husband, Norbert; son, Larry; son-in-law, Jim Seifert; grandson, Josh Wagner; parents; 11 siblings & their spouses.
