Service of Remembrance for Lela "Lorraine" Meade, 83, of Oakdale, CA will be Monday, Dec. 11, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. at the Prince of Peace Chapel of Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD. Florence Hoff, CLP will officiate and burial will follow at the Greenhill Cemetery in Lemmon. Visitations will be from 10:00 a.m. until the service on Monday, Dec. 11. at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.


LELA LORRAINE MEADE was born November 21, 1923 at Elgin, ND to James and Viola (Bertz) Meade. She grew up on the family farm in Grant County, ND. Lorraine went to grade school at a country school and later graduated from Elgin High School. After graduation, she traveled to Bakersfield, CA with her grandmother and began working at a hospital there. Lorraine also worked at an oil refinery in California and as a teller at a bank.


On June 24, 1943 she was married to Lorin Zacker at Elgin, ND and on Jan. 14, 1945 they had a son named Craig Lorin. They lived in various places and settled in California. Lorraine worked at State Farm Insurance in Modesto, CA for a number of years until she retired. Recently she did volunteer work at the Salvation Army as a site manager, helping with food distribution to the needy.


Lorraine was an avid seamstress, loved to crochet, do yard-work and gardening. She always carried a smile and enjoyed square dancing and held different offices in that organization. She was a volunteer driver to take other members to the area dances. Lorraine was always a willing helper and excelled in everything she tried. Sending e-mails to her sisters was one of her enjoyments in her later years and that will be one of the things they will treasure and miss so much. Her sisters looked forward to every morning when they would hear from Lorraine. She lived with her son, Craig in Oakdale, CA where he helped to care for her these last few years.


Lorraine Meade passed away at the Modesto Medical Center in Modesto, CA on Dec. 5, 2006.


Grateful for being a part of her life are her son, Craig, Oakdale, CA; three sisters, June (Donald) Howe, Hettinger, ND, Jean (Harold) Ganzer, Dickinson, ND and Yvonne (Ben) Weishaar, Elgin, ND. Preceding Lorraine in death were her parents, one brother, Athol and Craig's dad, Lorin.


Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home of Lemmon, SD.