Lorraine Stachel

It is with the heaviest of hearts that the family of Lorraine Stachel announce that she passed away on Thursday morning, April12th, at the age of 91. Just three months earlier, our mother was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, which in turn rapidly metastasized to a larger part of her body. She chose not to seek and further testing or treatment, but rather to live the remainder of life quietly at home. She did so with the utmost grace and dignity, and still managed to find a wee bit of humor in this world. For the last few weeks of mother’s life, we were fortunate enough to have been able to bring her into our home and care for her, spend time with her, love her, make her comfortable as possible, and do our best to help her transition to the next station. She passed away peacefully in the home of her children, wrapped in the love of family and friends. For that we will be eternally grateful. Three months prior to her death, she was a spry, “young” 91-year-old who lived in her own apartment just a couple blocks off the square in downtown Bloomington. Despite a long history of chronic spinal osteoarthritis and fractured vertebrae, she maintained her spirit and the desire to continue to experience and enjoy life. You could often see her going up Kirkwood Avenue with her walker, stopping at the bank, head for the Uptown Café for breakfast (her most favorite place), then maybe head over to Chico’s for a little shopping, and then back home. Then sit on her patio and watch all the folks coming and going along Kirkwood, while she sipped on a glass of wine. Those who were waiting on her in Heaven included her parents, Edward and Egle Wolfe; her only other son, Timothy Thompson; her siblings Jeanne Nelson, Herb Wolfe, and Warren Wolfe; and her first love, husband, and father of her two sons, William Thompson. Those left to follow someday include her son, Scott Thompson and his wife Sonja; Tim’s wife and still our sister-in-law, Elaine Thompson; grandchildren Andy Thompson and his wife Amber, Cameron Thompson, Lucia Thompson and her fiancé Joshua Stander; three great grandchildren, Alli Grace, Hannah Grace, and Adam; and her niece, Lori Burt and her husband Chris. Lorraine was our most beloved matriarch – beautiful, elegant, poised, graceful, funny, some say she could be a little sassy, and who filled each and all of our lives with love. We have been blessed. And we will miss her greatly, and always with love in our hearts. We would like to thank all of the people at IU Health Hospice who helped take care of mother in the last week of her life and those at Allen Funeral Home and Crematory who helped us make her transition as comfortable as possible. Each and every one of them did so with compassion, tenderness, and kindness, and will never be forgotten. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 28th at 1:00PM, at Meadowood Retirement Community, Bloomington. In lieu of flowers, we would ask that you make a contribution to IU Health Hospice, Bloomington, in memory of our mother. Online condolences, photos and memories may be shared with family and friends at www.allencares.com.

Tributes

Lorraine Stachel

March 13, 1927 - April 12, 2018