Lora Jane Koehn Nightengale

Lora Jane Koehn was born November 3rd 1942 in Longton, Kansas to Clifford and Ruth Koehn. She was the oldest of eight children. The Lord called her home on December 30th 2024 at the age of 82.
In 1943, at just one year old, Lora moved to California with her family. As her siblings came along, she was the oldest and the boss, protecting them from bullies, and themselves, as both her parents worked. She often shared that they enjoyed playing with the neighborhood children, many of whom were cousins. She always spoke very fondly of Delhi and said she would never move away.
At the age of fifteen she met her husband, Ivan Nightengale. After a short courtship they were married on July 3rd 1958 in Delhi, Ca. In 1959 they welcomed their first of five children. In 1962 Ivan got his contractors license and Lora helped him by keeping his records and also working outside the home. In 1968 they moved into their forever home that Ivan built for their growing family. On January 29th 2017, she and Ivan were baptized at New Life Christian Church. Through their sixty-six years of marriage, no matter what life threw their way, they stood by each other faithfully.
Lora was involved in many of her children's activities including sports, she never missed an event and could be heard cheering loudly from the stands. She was also fully involved in 4-H, Girls Scouts, marching band and PTA. She was a 4-H leader in Delhi and Livingston and helped raise sheep, taught arts and crafts, sewing and baking. She also had a passion to work and lead the elections in Delhi for twenty years. She loved to support the March of Dimes. She was a survivor of two battles with cancer and enjoyed participating in Relay For Life to support the American Cancer Society.
In 1977 she became a grandmother and at the time she went to be with the Lord she had twenty-eight grandchildren and twenty-six great grandchildren, each loved and rocked by their grandma. Each of her grandbabies have a homemade blanket from her and every family member has a handmade Christmas stocking that she hung year after year. Christmas was her favorite time of the year therefore, Christmas baking, Christmas Eve, and Christmas were always held at the Nightengale's.
Lora also loved to bake and many of her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews had the honor of her making their wedding cakes, a wedding dress, and even bridesmaids dresses. She had a green thumb and whatever she planted, thrived. She even took care of the hummingbirds, which she enjoyed watching out her window while they drank from the feeder her and Ivan kept full. Her talents truly seemed to have no end!
Lora and Ivan loved to travel and they have seen many parts of the world. She has been to Europe, Alaska, the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, a Transatlantic voyage and her absolute favorite, Africa. When they were not flying around the world their travels would take them all throughout the United States, with Lora being a human atlas to guide them.
Those left to pass on her life memories are her husband Ivan of 66 years. Her children Sandra Betschart, Brenda Saavedra (husband Larry), Christopher Nightengale (wife Nikki), Karen Melendez and Michelle Perry (husband Nathan). Her siblings Allen Koehn (wife Vera), Betty Koehn, Alice Koehn, Mary Koehn (husband Raymond), brother-in-law Winston Nightingale, Ronnie Koehn (wife Gail) and Larry Koehn (wife Rose) along with her twenty-eight grandchildren and twenty-six great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by both parents, Clifford and Ruth Koehn, her sister Norma Nightingale and her son-in-law Douglas Betschart (husband of Sandra.)
Services will be held on Wednesday, January 8th at Wilsons Family Funeral Home at 1290 Winton Way in Atwater, Ca. Viewing and memories at 9:30am to 10:30 am and services start at 10:30am. Burial to follow at Winton Cemetery and reception at the Church of God in Christ Mennonite in Livingston. If you'd like to make a donation in her memory, Grace Nursing Home in Livingston and the American Cancer Society were both very dear to her heart
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