Lorraine Elizabeth Price, age 94, passed away peacefully Wednesday morning, August 18th, 2021, in Santa Barbara, CA. She was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. Her life and values were shaped by her strong faith and love of Jesus and the Lutheran Church.
Lorraine was born May 22nd, 1927 in Amherst, WI, to Ed and Hattie Lutz. Growing up on a farm she loved picking fresh blackberries, and recalled the fun times that she had with her sister Evelyn. Living through the Great Depression had instilled in Lorraine the important values of saving for a rainy day, of not wasting anything, keeping a positive mindset, working together well with others, gratitude and always sharing with everyone.
Lorraine attended Felt Elementary School, Amherst High School and Browns Business College. She had fond memories of riding the sleigh to school during the snowy winters, drawn by either of their horses Ed or Sam. She recounted a story of her teacher telling her that she was the most determined little girl the teacher had ever met. She worked while attending Browns Business College. This is when she met Roy at church. They married in 1947, and after a short stint in Milwaukee where their oldest son Ken was born, they settled in Park Ridge, WI. Then in 1963, Lorraine had enough, and pulling up their four young children, headed west. (We are all so grateful!!) They landed at the Twilight Hotel on the Mesa for work and lodging. Soon, they bought their first house on the Mesa. Lorraine was employed during these years at Santa Barbara City Schools, where she made so many lifelong friends. Their next move was buying Fishers Gas Station, on the corner of Chapala and Carrillo. There they added living quarters upstairs, and this became their forever home. Lorraine’s head for business didn’t stop there, and she began Price Floral in conjunction with her daughter, Sandie Owens, as the head floral designer. They were in business for many years. Lorraine retired to Maravilla, where she spent happy hours playing bingo with her friends and the penny slots at Chumash. She will forever be in our memories with her beautiful warm smile and a twinkle in her eye, but most importantly her huge loving heart!
Lorraine is survived by her sons Ken Price (Kristine), Tom Price (Pam) and John Price (Janna), and grandchildren, Bryan (Elisa), Daren, Nicole, Alex, Jordan and Jason, and great-grandchildren, Josh and Timothy.
Lorraine is preceded in death by husband Leroy, daughter Sandra, sister Evelyn, brother Eddie and granddaughter Chauntee Owens. Memorial service to honor her life will be held at 1 P.M., Friday, August 27th, 2021 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 3721 Modoc Rd.
A Celebration of Life will follow.
