Lorraine E. Amann

Obituary's Biography:

Lorraine Elizabeth Amann (nee Deinlein), formerly of Round Lake, IL, died on January 26, 2024 at the home of her devoted daughter, Doris Robers, in Sycamore, IL.  She was born on July 5, 1930 to Frederick G. and Christine Mabel (nee Behm) Deinlein on the family farm in Fremont Center, IL, the sixth of seven children.  She graduated from St. Mary Catholic grade school and Libertyville High school.  She married Eugene M. Amann on July 15, 1950 and moved to Lincoln Avenue in Round Lake, just half a block from St. Joseph Church, which was to become a major focus in her life.  She did secretarial work at Anchor Coupling until shortly before the birth of her first child, David Frederick, in August 1951.  She was a full-time mother to five children, volunteered in the school office, was active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Altar & Rosary Society, the Right to Life Committee, and CCD classes. She attended mass daily, as well as Holy Hour devotions.  She was rarely without her rosary.

When her children were young she baked bread, and always had a fresh cake so that Gene could carry a piece to Rockenbach Chevrolet in his lunch box.  Summer mornings would find her sitting on the back steps peeling apples from the backyard tree for pie and applesauce.  She grew vegetables in a small garden and enjoyed flowers and birdwatching.  She was an accomplished seamstress, making dresses for her daughters when they were young.  Under Gene’s direction she sewed canvas, window netting, and zippers to create a covered wagon-style frame for the Chevy station wagon’s top carrier, which slept five during camping trips to national parks.

In 1989 Monsignor Hayes hired her to work in the church office.  She was responsible for the financial records, typed the weekly bulletin, and continued documenting sacramental records in her clear penmanship for thirty-one years.  She adapted to computer technology, and at 85 she learned to use e-mail.  She continued to work from home during the COVID-19 epidemic, until December of 2020.  Through the years priests as well as parishioners relied on her institutional memory.  She was known for her ability to keep sensitive information private, and for her accurate accounting.  Her work gave her life meaning and continuity after the death of her husband in 2005, and her son, David, in 2010.

When no longer able to live independently she was fortunate to have her loving daughter Doris, a nurse, welcome her into the Robers home.  Lorraine had done the same for her own mother, as well as her mother-in-law, Anna Freund Amann, when they needed care in their last years.  Lorraine continued to attend weekly mass after COVID restrictions were lifted.  Only doctor’s orders to stay home during winter weather prevented her attendance.

Her surviving children are Doris (James) Robers of Sycamore, IL, Carl (Rhonda) Amann of Bolingbrook, IL, Donna Frazier of Tulsa, OK, and Carole (Thomas) Wilson of Duluth, MN.  Lorraine’s other family members gratefully recognize the years-long commitment to Lorraine’s care that Doris and Jim and their family members graciously provided, with help from her son Carl and his family.

Lorraine’s grandchildren are Corin Robers of Dixon, IL; John (Jenelle) Robers of Sycamore; Kristine Amann of Bolingbrook, IL; Kaitlyn Amann of Nashville, TN, and Kassidy Amann of Seattle, WA.  Nia Mae and Turner Robers of Sycamore, IL are great-grandchildren.  All of Lorraine’s siblings preceded her in death: Emil, Joseph, Edward, and Bernard Deinlein, Genevieve (Walter) Carsten, and Marion (Jack) Henderson.

The family thanks Serenity Hospice for their sensitive care for Lorraine.

Though she loved flowers, Lorraine maintained that money would be more wisely spent for charitable causes.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the St. Joseph Catholic Church chapter of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society:  114 North Lincoln Avenue; Round Lake, IL  60073; Attention: Mirella Cisneros. 

Visitation is scheduled at Strang Funeral Chapel, 410 East Belvidere Road, Grayslake IL 60030 from 9:00am to 11:00am on Thursday, February 1, 2024 prior to the funeral mass.  The mass will be celebrated at St. Mary of the Annunciation in Mundelein, IL in the old church on Erhart Road where Lorraine was baptized, married, and celebrated her 50^th wedding anniversary on Thursday at 11:00am.  Burial will follow at St. Mary Cemetery just west of the church. For more information, please call (847)223-8122 or visit www.StrangFuneral.org.