It is with great sadness that the family of Lorraine Christine Derdeyn announces her passing on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at the age of 95 years. Lorraine will be lovingly remembered by her devoted children, Jim (Susan), Dan, Ric (Terry), Patti (Kevin) Blake, Steve, Tom (Wendy), Linda (Stan) Jackson, Dave (Alicia) and former daughter-in-law, LeeAnn. Lorraine will also be fondly remembered by her grandchildren: Luke, Aaron, Benji, Katy, Donnie, Christi (Michael), Ashley, Michael, Elizabeth, Joel, Samantha, David, Aidan, Robert, and Jared; her seven great grandchildren; and her sister-in-law Marge Kluge.She is preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Donald Derdeyn, and her siblings Rolland (Rose), Jerome, Hugo, Vincent (Jeanine), and Eugene (Margaret).
Lorraine was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where she graduated high school from St. Alphonsus High School. She met the love of her life, Donald Derdeyn, through her brother Gene, on a group outing in 1951. They became engaged on New Year’s Eve of that year and were married in August 1952. Although they lived in several different places, they established their home in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas and lived there happily for 54 years. Lorraine lovingly raised her eight kids while helping Don to start and run his own business, DESCO Electric, until they both retired. They enjoyed retirement in Oak Cliff, spending time with their family and staying involved in their home parish of St. Cecilia Catholic Church. Lorraine was a decades-long member of the St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, Council of Catholic Women (CCW) organization. She enjoyed working with the CCW to serve her community and often helped with orientation for new members to their group. She was also an avid reader her whole life and instilled a love of reading in many of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In the past few years, as her eyesight began to fail, she was fortunate to make use of the Dallas Public Library’s catalog of audio books. She also enjoyed traveling around the country to visit family and friends. In 2019, she traveled abroad for the first time with several of her children to Scotland and Ireland. And, finally, to everyone’s surprise, she was an avid fan of the Buffalo slots and more often than not, paid for her entire trip on the winnings.
She died peacefully in hospice surrounded by her family.
A visitation will be held at Calvary Hill Funeral Home on Monday, February 5, 2024 from 4:00pm-8:00pm, with the rosary starting at 7:00pm. A funeral mass will be held in the North Chapel at Calvary Hill Cemetery on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 10:00am. Interment will follow in the family plot at Calvary Hill Cemetery.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff at Methodist Dallas Medical Center and Vitas Healthcare for the excellent and compassionate care that Lorraine received. In lieu of flowers and for those who wish to, they may make donations in memory of Lorraine to St Cecilia Catholic Church (214-941-5821), the Dallas Public Library (https://catalog.dallaslibrary.org/polaris/payments/donation.aspx), or Maryknoll Society (www.maryknollsociety.org).
