Loretta Orstad

LORETTA LORRAINE ORSTAD

Loretta was born on January 31, 1935 in Drayton, North Dakota to Sylvester Engelbert and Mary Martha (Grzadzielewski) Klinicke. She was the fifth of ten children. Loretta passed away in a state of peace and serenity on Sunday, July 21, 2019 at the Mt. Olivet Home in Minneapolis. She was attended with great care and dignity in her final week by true angels from Grace Hospice.

Loretta met and married her (former) husband, Donald Allen Orstad in North Dakota. After his graduation from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, they moved to Minneapolis where they raised five children at their home at 36th and Pleasant Avenue. Loretta was a devout Catholic and all children attended Incarnation Catholic School.

Loretta was a devoted mother and a kind hearted, generous and spirited lady who would have given her last nickel to a stranger. She had a beautiful singing voice and loved to dance. In her more active years she enjoyed embroidering and gave away many of her beautiful, detailed works on pillow cases and tea towels. She also loved tending to her yard and taking walks around Lake Harriet. She travelled to Europe on two occasions and her favorite city was Prague, Czech Republic. Loretta was an enthusiastic baseball fan and she was proud to be a Minnesotan. In the last decade of her working years she was a caregiver for many Minneapolis and St. Paul families.

A stylish lady, Loretta never left the house without a hat or cap, and she wore them well. She was friendly and had the ability to speak to strangers easily. Her memory will be forever cherished in the hearts of many. She is survived by her children, Jennifer Laurie (Curt Freeman), Holly Neff, Kelly Rohlf, and Donald “Dino” Orstad; four brothers and three sisters. She is predeceased by her former husband, Donald Orstad and by her youngest son, Thomas Orstad. She has 8 grandchildren and 9-1/2 great grandchildren.

A Catholic Memorial Mass will be held at Incarnation Church located at 3801 Pleasant Avenue on Friday, August 23rd at 11:00 a.m. Following the service a luncheon will be served at the Ballentine Uptown VFW located at 2916 Lyndale Avenue So., Minneapolis. Free parking is located behind the restaurant. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Incarnation Church and/or Alzheimer’s Association. To honor Loretta’s memory please wear a hat or cap.