Frances (Lorraine) Dierick, 87, of Montesano, passed away at home on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. She was born on Jan. 15, 1936, in Aberdeen, Washington to George Bernard Barber and Lena Elizabeth (Carl) Barber. Lorraine was raised in Central Park and also on her family’s dairy farm up the Wynoochee Valley. She graduated from Montesano High School in 1953.

In November of 1954, Lorraine married Robert (Bob) Dierick. Bob passed away in June 2019.

She is survived by their three children, Kim, Bryan, and Denny (Julie), and four grandchildren, Kyron, Jason, Jamie (Zack), and Shawn. Lorraine is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Stan (Laural) Barber, and sister-in-law Carroll Barber. She is predeceased by her brother Bernard Barber.

Lorraine loved to play the piano & organ, sing in church, sew, and read but in the last five years, her favorite thing to do was take care of her constant companion, Sophie, her sweet Cockapoo.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church was very special to Lorraine. She was the church organist for nearly 30 years. In 1991, Lorraine and Dorothy McMeekin started a weekly after-school children’s church program. In 1989 she was selected by St. Mark’s Bishop Committee as a candidate for the local priest program. In 1992 she was ordained as a transitional deacon and then became ordained as a priest on March 27, 1993.

Lovingly known as Teacher Lorraine by many local residents, she taught at the Montesano Co-Op Preschool for 27 years. She started teaching when her youngest son was ready to go to preschool; he was in her very first class and she also had her grandkids in future classes. Her grandkids weren’t quite sure what to call her.

She and Bob enjoyed traveling to Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, and Nevada although they were quite content to stay pretty close to home. Lorraine also had the opportunity to take a memorable trip to Israel in 1999.

Lorraine was very proud of a hiking adventure she took with some members of her family. At the age of 55, she hiked to the top of Mt. Ellinor, a peak in the Olympic Mountains. She was so thrilled with herself that she had a sweatshirt made with a mountain and the elevation (5,952’) printed on it. She wore it proudly! Her more recent hiking adventure, at the age of 85, was with her son, daughter-in-law, and their dog on the Dosewallips River Trail. She was ready to go hiking! She had on hiking boots, fashionably cuffed blue jeans, a beautiful red sweater and to top off the ensemble, a string of pearls.

When her grandkids were younger, she would take the four of them and herself on a trip to the ocean each summer; no other adults were allowed to go. They played on the beach, swam in the pool, and ate whatever they wanted. They all had a great time! Each Christmas she would have the grandkids make gingerbread houses; again, no adults were allowed. We’re sure they ate more decorations than they put on their houses. She also had other cool things to do with the kids like sewing, painting, and making “potions” in the kitchen, specifically slug killers.

Lorraine had a sweet tooth and was known for having a candy stash in random places in their house. Once that stash was found and we snatched a few pieces, everything would disappear and we had to search for her next hiding spot. This is the same lady who always gave us little boxes of raisins even when we were teenagers. Whenever she made baked goods, we’d always look to see what healthy green stuff she had baked into them.

Even though she was no bigger than 5’ and 100 lbs., she was feisty and loved to debate. We learned to steer clear of heavier subjects because the debating could get wild. One year a son brought a decorated wooden spoon to Christmas dinner and announced it was a talking stick and you couldn’t speak unless you had the stick in your hand. Sometime during the festivities, the talking stick disappeared and we later found out that she had hidden it in our cat climbing tower. Our Christmas traditions also contain a rowdy game of bingo. She complained that she didn’t appreciate the quality of the gifts everyone brought so sometimes she’d just take home the gift she brought whether she won it or not. She had a habit of hiding things under the table. I guess we can’t blame her; one year she won a funny set of fake mustaches. That pushed her over the edge.

Lorraine made many trips to the ER with her children for stitches, dislocations, and broken bones. I think she was tired of going to the hospital because one child hurt his arm and she told him he was fine, then to find out two days later that it was actually broken.

She welcomed wild ducks and geese that were brought home as pets, motorcycle jumps and a race track in the pasture, and having her garage turned into a car painting booth. The car painting booth wouldn’t have been so bad except that it was located directly below the living room.

There are so many wonderful, funny stories we have about mom. She’ll be forever in our hearts.

Thank you to Kim and Kyron for taking such wonderful care of mom/grandma. Thanks also to Lisa Arndt and Harbors Home Health & Hospice for their care, help, and guidance.

There will be a family gathering for both mom and dad at a future time when we can all be together.

Thanks for everything mom!