Lorraine Nicolai

Lorraine Nicolai, 81, Bismarck, died Tuesday, October 7, 2008, in a car accident, as did her husband, John. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, October 12, at 2:00 PM at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck. Visitation will be held on Saturday from 1:00 – 9:00 PM at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a prayer service will be held at 7:00 PM. Visitation will continue on Sunday one hour prior to the service at the church. Lorraine Jeannette Nicolai was born on August 30, 1927, on a farm ten miles west of Butler, SD, the daughter of Melvin and Anna Iverson Solberg. She was raised on the farm, but they never owned their own farm, which meant they moved occasionally, so she attended more than one grammar school. When she attended high school, she stayed in town, sharing a “light housekeeping room” with other school girls during the week, then going back home to the farm on the weekends. Lorraine graduated from Butler High School in 1945, valedictorian of her class. In school, math came easy to her, she took part in plays, enjoyed history, and she wasn’t much for science. After high school, Lorraine moved to Minneapolis, MN, where she attended Minnesota School of Business. She had a room at the home of a family friend where she worked for room and board while attending school. Following graduation from Minnesota School of Business, she worked for the Veterans Administration at Fort Snelling, MN, then for the Railroad Retirement Board in Minneapolis. It was during these years that Lorraine met a California boy, military veteran, John Nicolai, a student at Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Lorraine and John were married on August 25, 1951, at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Bristol, SD. After graduating from seminary in 1952, John’s first call to serve was four congregations in western North Dakota, they lived in Dunn Center. In 1955, John accepted a call to serve as a second pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck, where he served until he retired in 1989. During this time, Lorraine worked as a secretary for Lutheran Social Services. She enjoyed cooking, baking she made great buns, caramel rolls, rhubarb and lemon meringue pies, sewing, crocheting, reading, and history. Lorraine loved and valued her family. She was a listening ear, encourager, and voice of calm, quiet wisdom. She had a good sense of humor; if you were frustrated when working on something, she would walk over and quietly hand you a pencil, only to discover the pencil had erasers on both ends, she would smile and giggle. She remembered people, names, relationships, and details. If her husband, John, was fondly known as “file drawers Nicolai” in the church and community for his organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to recall events, conversations and people, she was the “brains behind the organization”, a quieter version of the same, sharing those gifts through the home, church, and community. Lorraine taught Sunday school for years, was involved with leading Bible Studies, teaching the Bethel Series, Search, and if you played Bible Trivia, you wanted to be on her team. She was also active in leadership in the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church WELCA and its predecessor group in the American Lutheran Church, serving in officer positions in western North Dakota. Later travels became a part of her and her husband’s life. They traveled all over the United States as well as foreign travel, on their own and in leading tour groups. She was a quiet servant leader. She is survived by her sons, Randall of Pullman, WA, Steve Gisele of Misawa, Japan, and David Teri of Waterford, WI; his daughters, Renee Cleary of Bismarck, and Susan John Weiss of Hartland, WI; sixteen grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one brother, Marlin Betty of Sioux Falls, SD; three sisters, Alice Harry Schmidt of Webster, SD, Arlene Norman Schumacher of Sioux Falls, SD, and Deloris Daryl Valsvig of Webster, SD; and several nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Trinity Lutheran Church.

Lorraine Nicolai

August 30, 1927 - October 7, 2008