LeWayne “Lee” Lorang, age 94, of San Diego, CA, died peacefully five months after suffering a hip fracture. Her husband of seventy years, Alphonse “Preacher” Lorang lovingly supported her throughout life and through her latest health challenge.
LeWayne Jansen was born in Lismore, MN, to Teresa and Fred Jansen. She had a brother, Gerald, and, too briefly, a sister, Iola. She attended elementary and high school in Lismore, then graduated from McKenna School of nursing in Sioux Falls, SD, in 1944. She joined the Army Nursing Corps and served at Trippler Army Base in Honolulu in ’45 and ’46. She returned to civilian life rather than transfer to Taiwan.
LeWayne married her childhood classmate, Alphonse Lorang, on May 6, 1947 in St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, which her father had helped build. The two embarked on their long journey together, following Preacher’s Navy career to duty stations from northern California to Texas and back to southern California. They settled in San Diego in 1955. They were graced with five children along the way. Frequent trips to Lismore kept the extended family ties strong.
LeWayne had a long career as a Registered Nurse, often working nights or rotating shifts to accommodate kids’ schedules and Preacher’s tours of duty at sea. Her children were proud of her work and respected the gravity of her ICU/CCU specialization. A trip with colleagues to the Soviet Union whetted her lifelong appetite for travel.
She retired from nursing in 1988 after a breast cancer diagnosis and successful treatment. LeWayne and Preacher then had many dream trips come true: skiing in the Alps, seeing the Northern Lights from Norway, exploring China and South America, and touring the US with their Coachmen motorhome club. LeWayne and Preacher were fond of card games, especially Pinochle.
LeWayne was artistic and talented with her hands. She was always sewing, knitting, crocheting, doing embroidery and needlepoint, and quilting. She leaves behind quilts and stained glass her family will always treasure. She tried her hand at watercolors and piano as an adult, finally getting her chance after all the kids’ music lessons. She enjoyed cooking and baking, and was good at both! LeWayne loved reading and doing crossword puzzles until macular degeneration took its toll.
LeWayne was physically active. Water and snow skiing were favorite pastimes for the whole family. She enjoyed swimming, walking, hiking, camping and the outdoors.
LeWayne raised a wonderful close-knit family, who will try to help Preacher carry on without his beloved partner. She will be lovingly remembered, and missed terribly, by her children Ellene (Mike) Gibbs, Rod (Sally), Phil (Ellen), Jeanne, and Marge (John Spinosa) Lorang. Her eleven adoring grandchildren are Matt (Lori) Anderson and Katie (Jason) DiSimone; Melissa (Jay Rohrer), Karen (Brandon Nelson), and Jeremy Lorang; Janet, Amy, David (Nini) and Noah (Sarah) Lorang; and Daniel (Katie) and Charles Spinosa. Her great grandchildren are Devan and Erin Anderson and Anna and Holly DiSimone. LeWayne’s sister-in-law, Pat Jansen, and her Jansen and Lorang nieces and nephews were a big part of her heart.
LeWayne’s cremains will rest at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego. She requested no funeral services.
