Lorraine Gerhardt Obituary

Lorraine "Rayne" Grizelda (nee Coats) Gerhardt
Born: March 9, 1920 in Henry, NE
Died: November 24, 2024 in Woodstock, IL
Lorraine "Rayne" Grizelda (nee Coats) Gerhardt, 104 3/4, of Wonder Lake, IL, and formerly of Lombard, IL, died November 24, 2024, at Valley High Nursing and Rehabilitation in Woodstock, IL. She was born March 9, 1920, in Henry, NE.
She is survived by four of her five children, Karen (Kay) (husband Tom) Durkin of West Chicago, Christie (husband Allen) Broyles of McHenry, Susie (husband Tom) Bredfeldt of Glen Ellyn, and Steven Gerhardt of Wonder Lake; 18 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
Rayne was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Vernon, in 2001; her grandson, Brett, in 2010; and her son, Jeffrey, in 2020.
A Celebration of Rayne's Life will be held on September 13, 2025, at Smith's Central Weddings and Events, located at 3315 Pearl St., McHenry, IL. An open house will be held between 1pm and 5pm, with an informal service at 3pm. Light refreshments will be available.
Rayne was born on the borderline between Nebraska and Wyoming. Her home was in Nebraska but her heart was in Wyoming. Her father, Reverend Frank Coats, was one of the last circuit riding Methodist Ministers. His circuit took him to Torrington WY, where he fell in love with Mabel Shafer, who would become his wife, and mother to Rayne. Three brothers followed. They moved to Evanston, Lemont, back to Chicago and then to Austin, IL, where she went to high school. There she met Vernon. They married in 1941. WW ll took them to San Diego, CA. Vernon was an aeronautical engineer and he spent the war building planes. Daughter Kay was born there. After the war they returned to Chicago. Vernon joined the family printing business in Chicago. They settled in Lombard in 1949, built a house, and had four more kids! While raising her family, Rayne became very active in the First Methodist Church of Lombard. She was on every committee and sang in the choir. She was active in the PTA and scouts. Rayne even sang in a professional trio called the "Tri Tones". Rayne was a charter member and board member of the Lombard YMCA. And she was a swimming instructor. As a kid, Rayne was an avid swimmer. She always told the story that she learned to swim in an irrigation ditch in Wyoming, when she was just 18 months old! In 1933, when she was 13 years old, Rayne became obsessed with Water Ballet/Synchronized Swimming at the World's Fair in Chicago. She would go to the fair as often as she could, to watch the water ballet shows. She would hurry back home and go swim in Lake Michigan to practice what she had seen the ballet swimmers do. She even used what she learned about water ballet in college. So, when the Lombard Swimming Pool opened in 1957, she was ecstatic. No more driving far and wide to take her kids swimming. And the pool also gave her the opportunity to start the Lombard Aqua Queens Synchronized Swimming Team. The summer synchro program became so popular, it grew to where 300 girls each year would participate. The summer would culminate with the Synchro Water Show, attracting hundreds of spectators every year. Over the 30 or so years, Rayne coached thousands of girls who would forever more, affectionately, call her Mrs. "G". She even coached a senior group of women who were even more enthusiastic about the sport. When synchronized swimming first debuted at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Rayne was chosen to be an alternate judge. She went with some of her senior swimmers. Though she didn't actually get to judge, she had a ball. She was part of history.
At the same time Rayne was raising her family and building her synchro program, in 1960 she and Vernon bought property and built a cabin at Wonder Lake, IL. Every weekend was spent working, swimming, skiing, boating, sailing, and more working! Never having finished college, Rayne decided to go back to school and finish. She graduated in 1969 from what is now Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, IL. Through the 1960s Rayne became increasingly interested in local politics. Eventually, in 1981, she ran and was elected Lombard Village Clerk. In 1993 she was selected as the Lombard Service League's 28th Woman of the Year for her achievements in the community and to her family. In 2002 the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Corinne Wood, honored Lorraine with the Illinois Women of Achievement Award.
In 2001, Rayne and Vernon decided to move from their beloved home in Lombard and move to Wonder Lake. Rayne would retire from Lombard Village Clerk as soon as the elections were over. Later that year, in November, Vernon passed away. He had suffered for years from a debilitating stroke in 1995. Though Vernon was gone, she was not alone. Her very large family made sure of that. Going to the cabin to see Gramma and eventually "Gramma Grizzy" was the usual weekend activity.
All the while Rayne and Vernon lived in Lombard, from 1960, they also lived in Wonder Lake. This, of course, meant that Rayne was involved in the politics of Wonder Lake. She became the White Oaks Bay subdivision representative and secretary. She helped to create the Master Property Owners Association, the MPOA, which is the governing body of Wonder Lake. Rayne was instrumental in incorporating many subdivisions into the Village of Wonder Lake. As a member of the Planning and Zoning Committee, she helped direct the dredging project and the Stone Water Housing Development. There were so many things she did for Wonder Lake. She so loved trying to make things better and help people's lives improve.
In 2024, at the age of 104, Rayne finally decided it was time to retire. She still had her drivers license. The people at the DMV gave her flowers when she passed her test. But her children were getting more and more apprehensive about her driving. She was still on her feet, working in her garden, and entertaining her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. She still had that wonderful smile on her face, warm wonderful hugs, and wisdom to share. Her favorite bits of wisdom were, "If you don't move it, you'll lose it!", "If you can't do anything about it, then don't worry about it.", "Don't worry, be happy.", "Smile." "Have fun!"
Later in the summer of 2024, Rayne developed some health issues, requiring two major surgeries over the span of six weeks. After fighting valiantly to recover, it proved to be too much for her 104 ¾ old body. Rayne passed away in the early hours of Sunday, November 24, 2024. She leaves a gigantic hole in the family. A disturbance in the force. She will be greatly missed. We love you Mom.