Lorraine (Raczkiewicz) Dykstra Died October 23, 1969

What small household item holds special memories for you or your family because of a close relationship you had with the owner or an experience you had with the object? A modest set of pudding cups is a family “treasure” in our family. They were often used to serve pudding or tapioca. My mother received the pudding cups on the day that her sister Lorraine died. Lorraine (Raczkiewicz) Dykstra (my aunt) died at the young age of 47 on October 23, 1969, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Daughter of Anthony and Pauline Raczkiewicz, she grew up as their oldest of four children. When Lorraine and John were married in 1941, Shirley was only five years old at the time. Shirley enjoyed staying over with her big sister since they had a close relationship and also their family’s house on Milwaukee Street was small and crowded. “Uncle Joe '' always lived there and there were often boarders upstairs and in the little house behind the main house. Lorraine enjoyed Shirley’s visits also because Lorraine’s husband John was a truck driver who was gone for long periods of time and Lorraine didn’t like to stay alone. Their house was on a country road in Walker, with the houses far apart and fields and woods behind--very different from the city neighborhoods they grew up in. Shirley remembers doing many fun activities together such as sewing and cooking and outings such as going ice fishing and cross country skiing on Whitefish and Big Star Lakes. On the day of her death, Lorraine and her daughter Sandy drove separately and met at Shirley’s house to ride together to a large department store. While they were shopping, Shirley hung wet clothes up on the clothesline outside. It must have been a nice Fall day, not a cold and rainy one. Lorraine and Sandy returned, carrying their bags of purchases to show to Shirley. Their purchases included a big doll and pudding cups. One set of pudding cups had brown trim and the other set had black trim. Lorraine offered Shirley her choice and she picked the pudding cups with black trim. Before they left, Shirley invited them to stay for supper but Lorraine was feeling very unwell. Lorraine mentioned that she had meatloaf at home but was only going to have toast. Previously, Shirley had taken her sister a few times to the doctor but they determined it was just indigestion. Lorraine left and Shirley started taking clothes down from the clothes line. She was worried so she called their house and John was distraught. Shirley’s next door neighbor June Bowman drove her out to their house. When she got there,the ambulance was just leaving. Shirley believes it was a heart attack, based on where the pain was and said, “Back then they didn’t think women had heart attacks.” Losing her sister had a big impact on her younger sister, Shirley (Raczkiewicz) Longwell (my mother.) Shirely was 33 years old when her sister died. Because the pudding cups were so connected to Lorriane, and I was the oldest daughter and had the most memories of Lorraine, my Mother said, “that’s why you should get the pudding cups.” OBITUARY: Lorraine was 48 years old when she passed away unexpectedly at St. Mary’s Hospital on a Thursday night. Survived by her husband and daughter, two grandchildren, her parents, her grandmother Mrs. Anna Skrobat of OIl City, PA, two brothers (Anthony Jr. and Ronald R.) and sister Mrs. Roy (Shirley) Longwell. She was a member of the Women’s City Club of Saugatuck and the Singapore Yacht Club of Saugatuck. Funeral Mass at Holy Spirit Church, reposed at Alt Mortuary.