Lorraine May Swanson

HOLLAND -- Lorraine May (Young) Swanson died at the age of 95 on May 26, 2018, surrounded by family at Vista Springs in Holland, Mich.

She was born on Sept. 13, 1922, in Manistee, Mich.

Lorraine began school in a one room school house and graduated from Manistee High School in 1939 at the age of 16. She played first base on a Manistee softball team and was recruited for the Grand Rapids Chicks of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Lorraine married Howard Swanson on Sept. 15, 1948. Lorraine and Howard were avid Manistee football and basketball sports fans and regularly attended games through their 80s and into 90s. Lorraine loved her Detroit Tigers, her knitting and crocheting, playing pinochle and supporting her grandchildren.

She enjoyed watching Jefferson Elementary recesses from her kitchen window and took special satisfaction donating her mittens to them. She and Howard looked forward to spending time in Cape Canaveral, Fla., each year. She was a member of the Manistee United Methodist Church.

Lorraine is survived by her daughter, Jane (Doug) Smith; daughter-in-law, Lynn Swanson; grandchildren, Allison (Craig) Kornoelje, Martha (Charlie) Lavin, Emily Smith and Spencer Smith; and great-grandchildren, Molly Kornoelje, Emma Kornoelje, and Henry Lavin.

Lorraine was preceded in death by her husband, Howard Swanson in 2011; her son, Robert Swanson in 1999; her parents, Elbert and Esther (Byers) Young; and her sisters, Marguerite Beckstrom and Alice Conklin.

Memorial services for Lorraine M. Swanson will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 2, 2018, at the Manistee United Methodist Church with the Rev. Jane Lippert officiating. The family will receive friends at the church from 10:30 a.m. until time of service.

Lorraine's family would like to give a special thank you to Vista Springs Holland Meadows and Hospice of Holland for their loving care.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations go to the United Methodist Church of Manistee, or the Manistee High School Athletic Department.

Please visit Lorraine's personal page of memories at www.oakgrovefh.com. Arrangements are by the Oak Grove Funeral Home & Cremation Center in Manistee.