Lorraine Louise (Sparks) Kline

Lorraine Louise (Sparks) Kline, of Crandon passed away peacefully at Grace Lodge in Rhinelander with her loving family by her side while under the care of Compassus Hospice. She was 96 years old. She was born January 15, 1928, in Crandon, to the late Elmer and Denver (Duff) Sparks. 

Lorraine graduated from Crandon High School with the class of 1946. She was president of her freshman class and she was a majorette for 4 years. 

She worked in her family’s grocery store, Sparks’ Food Store in Crandon while she was growing up. After graduating from high school, she attended Oshkosh Business College to prepare her for taking care of the business part of running her dad’s store. 

Lorraine married Don (Ozzie) Kline in 1947 and was thankful to celebrate 64 years of marriage before Don’s passing in 2012. 

She and Don and their two children lived at the Forest County Jail while Don was sheriff. Don later worked for the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) which meant that Lorraine and her family moved to Wausau, Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Lyons, Illinois, and La Grange Park, Illinois before moving back to her beloved Crandon in 1976.

Lorraine was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 94 in Crandon for 46 years. She was proud to hold the office of secretary and president. 

She was a founding member of Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Crandon. The wood from Lorraine’s home in Crandon was used to make the communion railing, altar, lectern, pulpit and the cross behind the altar at Good Shepard Lutheran Church. She held the office of treasurer of the Ladies Aid for 13 years. She also sent out get well, encouragement and sympathy cards to parishioners for 30 years. 

Lorraine’s life was devoted to her strong faith in God. She faithfully read her Bible daily. She loved cooking and baking for her family and friends. She was known for her poppyseed bread, molasses cookies, Christmas cut-out cookies and angel food cake among many other baked goods. She always had something on hand for anyone who came over to visit. 

She loved the Chicago Cubs and looked forward to watching them on TV. She always went out of her way for others. She was the kindest, sweetest, most loving person that you could know. She always felt blessed and thankful to be born and raised in Crandon. 

Survivors include her daughter, Sandra Rollheiser (Paul Freeman), her beloved granddaughter Sara, sister Mary, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

She was preceded in death by her beloved son Michael, husband Donald, parents, brothers Elmer Jr., Quentin, and Neil.

Lorraine spent the last 5 years of her life at Grace Lodge Assisted Living in Rhinelander. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to staff members Amy, Nicole, Becky, Lynn and all the wonderful staff at Grace Lodge. The love, kindness, compassion, and respect shown by all the staff at Grace Lodge and Compassus Hospice professionals will never be forgotten. 

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on March 22, 2024 at Lakeside Cemetery in Crandon.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Crandon Area Rescue Squad, 107 E. Elm St., Crandon, WI 54520, or the Crandon Public Library, 110 W. Polk St., Crandon WI 54520. (Memo: In Memory of Lorraine Kline).