Lorraine Steines, age 97 of Wayland, died Thursday evening, Feb. 5.
Lorraine was born Oct. 23, 1928, on a farm in Gobles to Herman and Eunice Woodhams. She was born Esther Lorraine Woodhams, but she was called Lorraine because her mother was called by her middle name, which was Esther.
Lorraine was married Aug. 29, 1953, in the Merson Church in Gobles to Walter C. Steines, Jr. of Glencoe, Mo. and then of Wayland. They were married for 20 years until his death in 1973.
After graduation from high school, she attended the Allegan County Normal and started teaching at the Harper School in Trowbridge Township. She taught grades K-8 in the same room. After marriage, she and Walt moved to Wayland, where he worked for Pet Milk Company and she worked for Kessler, sewing baby clothes. They built a house east of town in 1958 and started a family.
Lorraine and Walt maintained a large garden. Lorraine canned or froze all of the vegetables and fruits that would be eaten throughout the year.
From the beginning of their marriage, Lorraine took courses from Western Michigan University in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in education, which she attained in 1973. Upon receipt of her degree, she taught at Dorr Elementary School. In 1988, she retired from teaching.
Lorraine traveled widely. She traveled to Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. She spent time in each state of the union.
Lorraine was the family’s gold standard in the fiber arts. She sewed wedding dresses, men’s suits, and many of the dresses that she wore. Up until the last year of her life, she was in demand for her Christmas stockings and hanging dish towels.
Lorraine was also a gamer. She played weekly Euchre and Yahtzee games online with her family, games of Uno, Skip-Bo, and Rummikub. She learned to play golf in her late 50s, and she played well into her 70s. She claimed to have scored a birdie, but on investigation, it turned out that one of her shots hit a bird. She spent time watching the Tigers, Lions, Wolverines, and Spartans on television.
Lorraine was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Steines, of Wayland. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Alan and Sherry (Oliva) Steines of Connecticut; daughter and son-in-law, Lois and Gordie Nickels of Byron Center; six grandchildren Alexis Steines (Sean Rao) of Virginia, David Steines (Aly) of Maine, and Christopher Steines (Wendy) of Connecticut, Lindsey Nickels of Byron Center, Sarah Nickels of Byron Center, and Jillian (Nickels) Boyd (Eric) of Clinton Township, Michigan; and five great-grandchildren, Matilda Steines, Eleanor Steines, Elias Rao, Jasper Rao, and Addilynn Boyd. She is also survived by her cousin, Fred Woodhams (MaryLee) of Howell; a plethora of nieces and nephews; and her special friends, the Kohtz family: Keith and Tammy, Mickala and Duncan Seidel, Landon and Samantha Kohtz.her life and love.
A visitation will take place from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., followed by a celebration of life at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 6, at Wayland United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christian Neighbors, 122 Church St, or to Wayland United Methodist Church.
