Lorene Tourney

Lorene (Franklin) Tourney was born on August 2, 1939, to Virgil and Annie Franklin, in La Jara, Colorado. She was a daddy’s girl and loved helping her dad around the farm. When she was 12, they moved to Ouray, Colorado. The luxury of indoor plumbing and electricity, great teachers at school, and a job at the Beaumont Hotel cleaning rooms for $2 a day made her stay in Ouray a cherished childhood memory. When she was 13, they moved to Delta, and she fell in love with Don Tourney. She soon realized her dream of being a wife and a mother and lived that dream until Don’s death in 2010. When she was 23, she obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ and was a member of the Church of Christ. Lorene and Don made their living farming in Paonia, Colorado, where they raised their three sons and a daughter, and were avid Hotchkiss High School sports and music fans. Their home was a welcoming destination for all their family and friends. Their children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and friends all hold cherished memories of time spent at the farm.

Lorene was preceded in death by her parents, Virgil Franklin and Annie Scavarda; two sisters, Virgie Goad and Gladys Johnson; two brothers, Frank Franklin and Lue Franklin; and by the love of her life, Don Tourney. She is survived by her twin sister, Luella Cross of Grand Junction; her youngest sister, Sharon Lucero of Fruita; her children, Chuck (Bobbi) Tourney of Grand Junction, Mary Ann (Bill) James of Madison, Minnesota, Virgil (Barbara) Tourney of Lafayette, Indiana, and Richard (Diana) Tourney of Vancouver, Washington; 9 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 1:00 pm, at the Grand Junction Church of Christ, 2893 Patterson Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Lorene’s name to HopeWest Hospice, 3090 N. 12th Street, Unit B, Grand Junction, CO 81506.