Lorraine Evelyn Seedorff

Lorraine Evelyn Seedorff

Iowa City

Lorraine Evelyn Seedorff passed away on June 19, 2025, in Iowa City, IA at the age of 93.

She was born Lorraine Ward on October 5, 1931, in Arlington, IA to Donna Oldfather Ward and LeRoy Ward. She grew up and attended school in Arlington before later moving to Dallas, TX and then back to Iowa in the early 1960s. She worked in a variety of jobs including retail sales and food service, with her favorite job being receptionist for chiropractor Dr. Brown in Oelwein, IA as well as putting in many hours and years as a homemaker.

Lorraine was a skilled artist. She was offered admission to an art school in Minnesota in the 1940s but was unable to attend. She was a master crochet artist for most of her life, making a variety of clothing items, blankets, intricate lace and doilies, and toy animals she called “critters.” She enjoyed making her critters, mainly monkeys or bears as well as other animals, and donating them along with hats and blankets to the UIHC Children’s Hospital as well as to anyone she liked. If you received a crocheted critter from Lorraine, you knew you were on the approved list. She also enjoyed painting with acrylic and watercolors, doing charcoal sketches, macrame, ceramics, even making her own home design sketches.

Throughout her life she also enjoyed reading, dancing, fishing, playing cards, gardening, hunting for morel mushrooms, traveling, and visiting the casino to play slots or Blackjack where she usually came out well ahead. Her most recent fond memory is of the RV trip to the Badlands, Tetons, and Yellowstone she took with family last year. She even got to meet Willie Nelson in a bar in Dallas back before he became famous.

She was married and divorced a couple of times, first to Bill Tripp and then Jim Seedorff. Lorraine is survived by her brother Bill (Rita) Ward of Visalia, CA; sons Ronald Tripp of Oelwein, IA and Douglas (Janelle) Tripp of Lennox, SD; daughter Lee Seedorff of Solon, IA; grandchildren Gail, Michael, Billy, Evelyn, Max, Brent, Aaron, and Aidan; many great-grandchildren; a couple great-great-grandchildren; and many grandpets including her little buddy granddog Shorty with whom she enjoyed sharing her morning banana. She is preceded in death by her parents LeRoy and Donna Ward, daughter Patricia Cooper, and many uncles and aunts.

No services will be held. Memorial donations may be made to the UIHC Stead Family Children’s Hospital or the American Cancer Society.

Online condolences may be shared with her family at www.lensingfuneral.com.