Loretta Hilda "Lorie Rucks" Kahlbaugh

Loretta Hilda Kahlbaugh, 87, of Duluth MN passed away August 17, 2025 surrounded by family at her home of 57 years. She had battled cancer for more than a year.

Known to all as Lorie, she was born in Kettle River MN to Lucila (Gehlhar) Rucks and Arnold Rucks on July 25, 1938.

Lorie grew up in several small Minnesota towns and, at 16, moved to Minneapolis and worked as a nanny. She finished high school and began working for Northwestern Bell Telephone as an operator and progressed to administrative assistant in the engineering department. During this time, she sang in NW Bell's employee choir making many long-term friends and placed second in the Minneapolis Aquatennial beauty contest.

Six weeks after meeting Horace Kahlbaugh in 1958, the pair eloped to the Little Brown Church in Iowa and began a family. While raising four children the family moved to Detroit, MI in 1966, and then Duluth in 1968. Lorie and Horace owned and operated the Hertz franchise for 44 years. Lorie assumed full time accounting responsibilities for the company while raising a family and earning college credits in math, computer programming, and advanced accounting courses at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

When her children became more independent, she took piano lessons and played until she passed. She was an artist and expressed herself through watercolor, acrylics, fiber arts and quilts. She loved to cook and garden and do yoga. She was an accomplished seamstress and tailored suit coats for Horace during their early years in Duluth.

She was kind, gentle, loving, and joyful. She was a source of calm and resolute strength. Her children and devoted husband of 67 years Horace, love her deeply, she will be missed.

Lorie dearly loved her grandsons and would often fondly recall the times she shared with them when they were young, baking cookies and having them stay overnight for sleep-overs.

Lorie was preceded in death by her parents; and siblings, Velda Wiener, Dennis (Evelyn) Rucks, Beata Martell, Leland (Bluebell) Rucks, Arnold Rucks, Constance (Alan) Mead, and Janet Carlson.

Lorie is survived by her husband, Horace; children, Brett Kahlbaugh (Marcia Becker), Brad (Naoko) Kahlbaugh, Brian (Heather) Kahlbaugh and their children, Jacob and Joshua, and Linda (Jim Anderson) Kahlbaugh; and sister, Lane (Patrick) Maloney.

The immediate family will hold a private memorial service on August 29, 2025. Lorie will be buried at Sunrise Memorial Park Cemetery in Hermantown, MN.

Donations in memory of Lorie may be made to Ecumen Hospice: https://ecumen.org/give-now/ or

Ecumen – 446119

P.O. Box 64002

St. Paul, MN 55164-0002

Ecumen Tax ID #: 41-0711588