Lorraine F. Schlueter, age 94, of Woodbury, MN and formerly of Huron, passed away on Monday, January 24, 2022 at Woodbury Healthcare Center in Woodbury, MN. Her Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 AM on Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish with burial to follow at St. Martin's Cemetery in Huron. Visitation, will be one hour prior to the service at the church. A Rosary Service will begin at 9:30 AM at the church.

On Monday, January 24, 2022, Lorraine Frances Schlueter peacefully died and entered heaven at the age of 94. Lorraine was born on October 15, 1927 to Frank and Mary Bollich in Crofton, Nebraska.

It is a universal truth that all people die, and also that fewer people live. Lorraine truly lived! She grew up on the family farm in Nebraska. She knew from the time she was five years old that her destiny lay in nursing, and she was supported by her parents' commitment to education. In the winter months Lorraine's dad would get up early to heat smooth large rocks in the fire, and place them in the horse-drawn buggy covered with animal hides to protect Lorraine and her siblings during the long ride to the country school. Lorraine recalled the excitement of those early rides and the welcome warmth that broke the frigid winter temperatures on the way to school.

Undaunted by hardships, supported by family, driven by her passion to pursue nursing in service of others, and wrapped in her deep faith in God, Lorraine entered Sacred Heart nurses training in Yankton, South Dakota. She was inspired by the nuns who educated and guided her there.  Sacred Heart was where her early dream of becoming a Registered Nurse was completed.

But destiny was only beginning for Lorraine. During nurses training, she met a young law student named Franklin Schlueter. They went on a bike ride that turned into a riverside picnic and ended that evening with a marriage proposal (Franklin often said he was thunder struck with love at first sight by the most beautiful smart strong woman he'd ever met). Lorraine initially was flattered and intrigued, but being fiercely independent, she was cautioned by the possibility that a marriage might interrupt her nursing goals. Plus, Franklin was not Catholic (a non-starter). Franklin persisted and a whirlwind romance followed. Lorraine wanted to join the Women's Air Corp in WWII, but she stayed focused on obtaining her RN degree. Lorraine completed nurses training in 1946. Franklin converted to the Catholic faith and completed his law degree. The two reached an accord on both of their career, family, and spiritual needs. They married on June 3, 1948 at the Catholic church in Menomenee, Nebraska. Lorraine and Franklin had seven children, Frank, David, Mary Beth, James, Anne, John, and Donna. They lived in Minneapolis, then moved to Sisseton and settled in Huron South Dakota in 1959.

Lorraine's compassion, nursing skills, and command of the healing arts were matched only by her love and her faith. She felt privileged helping to bring life into the world on the hospital obstetrics floor, and helping patients heal or easing their transition to the next life on the hospital medical floor. But her passion was always in surgery. She rose to become the Head Nurse and Director of the surgery department in Huron, South Dakota. Her strength of leadership, tenacity, and strict surgery department operations became legendary among the surgeons who counted themselves fortunate to perform life-saving surgery in the OR. Harkening back to her early attraction to the WWII Women's Air Corp, Lorraine took the opportunity to become one of only a few flight-certified nurses in South Dakota. She loved answering the call to deliver nursing care on emergency air transports whenever needed.  Lorraine cherished her nursing career and accepted the gratitude of her patients and colleagues with humility.

She felt the greatest joy and pride in her family. She showed them how to love and to embrace life. She loved to dance, provide beauty and nourishment through gardening, express creativity and warmth through quilt-making, and to travel.  She frequently packed up her family for spontaneous visits to the family farm, Red Iron Lake, the Black Hills and other road trip destinations. Lorraine and Franklin traveled extensively after Franklin obtained his pilot's license and a small airplane. Although Lorraine did not enjoy learning how to land the plane, in typical fashion she was successful in doing so. They loved flying cross-country to visit their children often. One year Lorraine combined her devotion to nursing, service to others, her faith in God, her love of travel and adventurous spirit by collecting a truckload of donated medical supplies and delivering them to those in need during the Bosnian war. When questioned about this decision by her children, she simply said "Don't worry, they won't have the war where I'm going to care for victims." And she was right, returning safely home several weeks later. She felt blessed and thrilled to visit Croatia, Egypt, the Holy Land, and take a cruise to Mexico.

Lorraine enjoyed a remarkable life devoted to God, family, and nursing, sparked by infectious laughter, and a resounding Yes to both sweetness and challenge. Lorraine is survived in love by her sons David and his spouse Janice, James and his spouse Gigi, and John and his spouse Frances; by her daughters Anne, Donna and her spouse Michael, and by her daughter in law Kathy; by her grandchildren Rebecca, David, Daniel, Isaac, Sarah, Alexander, Elizabeth, Chelsea, Joseph, Rosemary, Murphi, Adrian, Michele, and Todd; and by her great-grandchildren Jack, Charlie, Sam, Jace, McKenna, Maverick, Jocelyn, Liam, Sky, Symphony, and Juniper. Lorraine's love will forever be woven through the fabric of each of their lives.

Lorraine was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Franklin, her daughter, Mary Beth, and her son, Frank. Lorraine was the last remaining member of her family of origin, having been predeceased by her parents, her brothers Anthony, Arthur, Alvin, and Norbert, and her sisters Leona, Marcella (Sally), and her twin sister Colleen. The passing of this generation continues to be felt by all who came after and had the honor of growing up with their examples of courage, kindness, perseverance, and finding the humor in hardships.  The expectation is that each of them greeted her upon her arrival.

After a long and abundant life of service to others, Lorraine currently resides in heaven, where she can hold her beloved spouse, Franklin, and children, Mary Beth and Frank again, where the ground is always fertile for her gardens, where she can enjoy creating beautiful quilts, where sweet pastries and cookies are always available, where she can eat shellfish without risking illness, and where she can fly with Franklin whenever she wants.