Lorraine (LaCroix) Durbin

Lorraine (LaCroix) Durbin

Lorraine (LaCroix) Durbin, 61, of Havre, Mont., passed peacefully into Heaven on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012, while

surrounded by family members and in the arms of her longtime husband and sweetie pie, Cecil Durbin.

Services will be Friday, Oct. 26, at the Havre Assembly of God, 901 9th St. West. Public viewing begins at noon, with the service at 1 p. m. Attendees are welcome to bring a red rose to place on the graveside casket before returning for a light snack and desert reception at the church.

Lorraine was born on Oct. 24, 1950, in Havre to Bob and Osa (Jones) LaCroix. The third of six siblings, Lorraine grew up on Havre's north side, spending many happy summers playing at the family farm 32 miles north of Havre.

Before graduating from Havre High School in 1969, she worked at the old Fair Hotel, now the location of the US Bank. Lorraine married her high school sweetheart, Dave Vaughn, in 1969, making their home in Havre. In 1970 a daughter, Marie, was born; a son Aaron was born in 1977. Lorraine sold Avon in the late 1970s before BN Railroad transferred the family to Denver in 1980. They transferred to Lincoln, Neb., in 1982, before returning to Havre in 1983 to be close to cherished family and lifelong friends she dearly missed.

She had a passion to serve her Lord Jesus Christ and share his love with everyone God placed in her path. She enjoyed teaching Sunday school to pre-school children at the Havre Assembly of God church in the late '80s. She also worked part-time cleaning homes and offices. This chapter of her life closed when Lorraine and Dave divorced in 1993.

By 1994 Lorraine was engaged to the love of her life, Cecil Durbin. They had a fairytale romance and married on Sept. 30, 2000. Lorraine co-owned the Havre Ben Franklin Store with her beloved husband, enthusiastically working the stamp section. She thoroughly enjoyed attending trade shows with her husband and helping him select new merchandise. In 2005 she began her battle with breast cancer.

By the grace of God, the prayers of the faithful, and the God-given wisdom of her amazing oncologist who applied the latest medical treatments, she thrived and enjoyed life for seven additional precious years. She was a walking miracle, her prognosis seven years ago was for only a year and a half including the time on chemotherapy. Her family is thankful for how God's heart was surely moved by everyone's petitions for healing, and they appreciate your prayers for her over the years.

Her greatest thrill was to share her faith in her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to give Him the glory for extending her life while battling the insidious disease of cancer. Her faith grew in proportion to her trials. She was overwhelmed with joy when people told her how much her faith had strengthened their faith and commitment. She was joyful for those who were drawn to faith in Christ because of her unwavering walk with Jesus. She often hoped that the journey she walked would be a blessing to others so that they could experience the peace and comfort she experienced while learning to lean on Him during her many trials with cancer and miracles of healing along the journey.

Always ready to volunteer, Lorraine loved helping anyone in need. She was treasurer for her TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) group for several years. Most recently she enjoyed helping children learn memory verses at the Wednesday night children's program. She lived life to the fullest and looked forward to setting a big crown of jewels at Jesus' feet when she reached Heaven. She was an inspiration to many people with her positive attitude and encouraging words, regardless of what trials she encountered along her journey in life. She never took "no" for an answer; she was always able to find a way to make the impossible possible.

Her children and grandchildren were the highlight of her life. She enjoyed spending time with her extended family. In recent years her passion was to travel in the motor home which, to her, didn't happen nearly enough. She was looking forward to traveling more when the store would be sold at the end of this month, especially to visit children and grandchildren who all lived so far away.

She enjoyed being outside playing in God's beautiful and amazing creation. She had many outdoor hobbies: snowmobiling, jet skiing, water skiing, downhill skiing, traveling, wildlife viewing and picking her husband's garden roses when she wasn't studying her Bible.

Lorraine was preceded in death by her father, Bob LaCroix; and her oldest sister, Sharon Galbraith.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Cecil Durbin of Havre; daughter, Marie (Dennis) McConnell of Sterling, AK; son, Aaron (Erin) Vaughn of Bozeman, Mont. ; mother Osa LaCroix of Kalispell, Mont. ; two sisters, Lois (Dave) Managhan of Kalispell, Mont., and Eloise (Dan) Marx of Lake Oswego, Ore. ; two brothers, Gary (Carmen) LaCroix of Carrollton, Texas, and Brian (Aleksandra) LaCroix of Plano, Texas; two stepsons, Bruce (Cheryl) Durbin of San Diego, Calif., and Paul (Patty) Durbin of Devil's Lake, N.D. ; and one stepdaughter, Kim Durbin of Beavercreek, Ohio; in addition to 16 grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

But as it is written, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. " (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Donations may be made in her honor to the Great Falls Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute where she received outstanding compassionate treatment from Dr. Grant Harrer. They can be reached at (406) 455-5840 or online at: http://www.benefisfoundation.org/BenefisHealthcareFoundation/BenefisSlettenCancerInstitute.aspx.

Alternatively, donations may be made in her honor to Pacific Garden Mission, creators of the award-winning radio drama series that she enjoyed, "Unshackled! " Their address is: Pacific Garden Mission, 1458 S. Canal Street, Chicago, IL 60607.