Lorraine Magdalena Born

Lorraine Magdalena Born (nee Willemsen) was born on July 31, 1929 to Otto and Magdalena Willemsen at home on their farm outside of Cologne, Minnesota. She grew up in Carver County and graduated from Central High School in Norwood Young America, MN.

Lorraine married Kenneth Born on October 25, 1947. They had five children – Kate (Steve Mooney), Kevin (Janet), Kristi (Fred Shepherd), Keith (Candy) and Kent (Laura). While she would describe herself as a homemaker for much of her life, she was instrumental in Kenneth building a very successful residential real estate business by being the consummate partner and hostess.

As their children grew, Lorraine got more involved in her husband’s expanding business by managing all aspects of administration and bookkeeping. In 1987, when she was 58 years old, she got her first job outside of the family business, working for Wells Fargo in their Equipment Finance division until 1998. Following Kenneth’s death in 2004, Lorraine went to work for another equipment financing company called RP Capital and worked there until 2019, leaving her job at 90 years of age, only because of the Covid pandemic.

Lorraine was a dedicated supporter of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. She served as the President of the hospital’s Service League and worked as a volunteer in the Emergency Room every Friday for over 20 years. She was a woman of great and unwavering faith, always active in her church, singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School and serving on various committees within her church and throughout the larger church body. She had many friends, was a favorite aunt and lived a wonderful and productive life.

Beyond her many accomplishments, the single most important thing in Lorraine's life was her family. She loved, and was loved by, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and was happiest when surrounded by all of them.

Lorraine died on November 1, 2026 in Edina, MN. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sisters Merle and Donna, and her brother Franklin. Lorraine is survived by her children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Services will be held on Monday, November 23, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Normandale Lutheran Church, 6100 Normandale Road, Edina, MN 55436. A visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. prior to the service and a luncheon will follow. A private inurnment at Lakewood Cemetery will be held following the luncheon.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation.