Lorraine Vera Gimre

Lorraine Vera Gimre was born at home on Dec. 17, 1920, to Hugh Henry Muckala and Rachel Bridget Koljonen, in the farming community of New York Mills, Minnesota. The family was happy to get electricity when Franklin Roosevelt became president.

Lorraine attended Bimidji Teachers College. In 1945, the family sold their farm and packed up everything they owned and drove out west to Astoria, Oregon. While decorating a window at J.C. Penney, Kermit A. Gimre saw her in the window, and went in and sat in the shoe department to meet her.

She married Kermit Nov. 26, 1950. They had three children, Jon, Kathy and Peter. Lorraine helped with the books at Gimre’s Shoes while she raised the children. Lorraine was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Astoria for the past 66 years.

Lorraine lived independently in the family home, after Kermit died in 1998, until she was 90. A broken hip brought her to Portland, where she lived with her daughter, and later in a loving care home. She loved to be with family and was healthy until a cough turned to pneumonia, and she passed away five days later on her mother’s birthday, Sept. 16, 2016. The day before she passed, she told her family, when asked how she was, that she was “fine,” and shared smiles with them.

Lorraine is cherished for her simple lifelong advice of “just do your best,” and conveying to her children to have a positive mental attitude. Lorraine was kind and caring, and never was known to criticize anyone. She was known for her delicious cooking: strawberry jam, meatballs and gravy, spareribs, chicken and rice, roast beef every Sunday, her berry pies with the best crust ever, German chocolate cake and lemon meringue pie.

Lorraine is survived by her sons, Jon Kermit and his wife Anita and Peter Gimre; her daughter, Kathryn Rachel Gimre Wolfard; and her grandchildren, Conrad, Maxwell and Rachel Gimre Wolfard, Kerensa and Karsten Gimre, and Claire and Anna Gimre.

Lorraine was buried next to her loving husband in Ocean View Cemetery Sept. 24. There will be a celebration of life service for Lorraine Gimre on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 1 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Astoria. All our family and friends are welcome. Please bring a dish to share.

A memorial gift in the name of Lorraine Gimre may be sent to the capital fund of First Presbyterian Church, 1103 Grand Ave, Astoria, OR 97103.