At the age of 84, Lorraine Burns, of Shakopee, passed away peacefully the early morning hours of Friday, October 9, 2015, at Friendship Manor Health Care Center, Shakopee, MN.
Lorraine wanted her life to be celebrated and honored by everyone wearing her favorite color red, to the Celebration of Life Service on Friday, October 16 at 12:30 pm, with a time of gathering one hour prior, held at Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home 833 South Marschall Road, Shakopee, MN. The Reverend Tony Sconza will preside. Lorraine will be laid to rest with her husband, Raymond at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN.
On November 19, 1930 in Robbinsdale, MN, Lorraine Virginia was born to parents, Edward and Lorraine (Kurtz) Bushway. The youngest of the second set of twins, she was truly the baby of the family and the only girl. Her mother was elated in finally having a girl or so she thought. Growing up with five brothers, meant Lorraine needed to stand her ground. She became a girl that could play hard with all the boys and one not too be taken for granted. Lorraine’s tomboy characteristics later scared the boys when it came to dating.
A graduate from Robbinsdale High School, Lorraine spent most of her career interacting with customers. First starting out as a cashier for Woolworth’s Department Store, she too worked as a cashier at local grocery stores. For over 10 years, Lorraine and daughter, Traci owned and operated a ceramic business. Switching gears, the two of them worked for Business Incentives (B.I.) in Edina for 5 years. Eventually, Lorraine and Traci opened up a mailing service for BI for another 10 years before she retiring. Enjoying being around people, Lorraine retired four more times, working for a bakery, antique stores and flea markets.
Through mutual friends, Lorraine was introduced to Raymond Burns. In the late 1950’s, they were married at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Most of Lorraine and Raymond’s married life was spent enjoying the lake in Rockford, MN. Raising four children, meant teaching them how to fish, water ski and swim. Lorraine became quite good at shooting muskrats off the deck too. As a couple, their favorite spot was traveling to Las Vegas several times a year. On October 31, 1987, Raymond passed away suddenly, leaving her life changed forever. Lorraine ultimately moved back to the cities to be closer to her children.
When Lorraine was not working, she enjoyed attending flea markets and garage sales, taking her chances at Mystic Lake Casino and cheering on her ‘ boys’ of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. The true passion in Lorraine’s life was that of being a wife, mother, grandma and great-grandma to her family. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday. She prepared the most wonderful food, especially her potato dressing, and a table set like a picture in Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
For the last eight years, Lorraine has lived with two of her daughters, Debbie and Traci. They called themselves the “Golden Girls!” Lorraine had this special energy that resonated to others. Her vibrant personality and fun loving spirit was felt by all those she encountered. We can’t forget her love for dogs, especially Rocky. Lorraine loved red roses, red clothing and anything else in red. The last year, she has truly been blessed with her new family at Hosanna Church.
Left to honor Lorraine’s life and will forever miss her are children, Patty Fournier, Debbie King, Brad (Julie) Burns, Traci Burns; brothers, Warren “Bud” Bushway, LeRoy “Bush” Bushway, twin brother, Lawrence Bushway; grandchildren, Justin (Erin) Burns, Jenny (James) Strusz, Jordan (Britney) Burns, Christopher (Kim) Fournier, Melanie (Reymundo) Rodriguez; many great-grandchildren; other loving relatives and devoted friends.
There to welcome Lorraine home in heaven is her beloved husband, Raymond; son-in-law, George King; parents, Edward and Lorraine; brothers, Harry (Jeannie) Bushway, Howard (Betty) Bushway; sisters-in-law, Bev Bushway and Donna Bushway.
Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home and Cremation, Shakopee Chapel, proudly served and cared for the Bushway family. www.ballardsunderfuneral.com
