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Happy 102nd Birthday to Gloria O’Rourke’s (MEDA and Ambassadors Coordinator) Grandma, Lorraine Stamper Enloe

Lorraine Stamper Enloe was born in 1907. Her dad was a traveling Methodist minister in Kentucky. The story is that her Great-Grandma actually went ice skating on a Sunday (a scandal in those days) and had the misfortune to fall on the ice – another scandal. Great-Grandma was so fed up with being a minister’s wife that she did an unheard of thing…took her daughter of three, left her husband and traveled to the mining community of Kendall, MT.

Imagine being divorced in 1909! Grandma loved her dad very much and cried a lot because she missed him. A man in Kendal gave Grandma the Indian name “Rain on Face” because she cried a lot for awhile. The Lewistown News Argus recently did an interview and story on Grandma to learn about Kendall in its boom.

* Here is how she caught her husband…they were married in 1925. Grandma took an onion sandwich out to a man working in the field…it was my Grandpa. She handed him the sandwich and he said, “I am going to marry you someday.” And he did. They were married for over 60 years. They were the first to pitch a tent at Wheeler, Montana, to assist with building the road along the Ft. Peck Dam.

* When Grandma turned 60 she decided it was time to learn to do three things: swim, ride a bike and golf. And she did.

* In her 80’s Grandma thought it was horrible that the veteran’s section of the Great Falls Cemetery didn’t have a flag flying. So she called everyone she knew and raised the money and got it done.

* Grandma has connections in high places. Sen. Mitch Tropilla picks her up to vote every election; Governor Schweitzer has signed a birthday card for her every year since she turned 100. Of course she hears from the President and Montana’s Congressional delegation. Grandma likes to tease that the Governor bought her outdoor carpet for her porch. (That is what she used her $400 tax rebate to purchase.)

http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/sltc/services/aging/conference/07Conf/centenariansFinal.shtml

Gloria brought her to the MEDA conference reception at the CMR Museum in Great Falls in 2007. Her colleagues were very kind and enjoyed meeting her.

Here’s a picture of her as she entered middle age at 100 – http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/sltc/services/aging/conference/07Conf/100%20Lorraine%20Stamper%20Enloe.jpg

She’s having a Birthday Party on Saturday, March 7th from 1:30 to 3:30 at the 1st United Methodist Church, 610 2nd Ave. N, Great Falls, Montana if you’d like to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Lorraine Stamper Enloe

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