Loretta “Lori” A. Gilbertson, 79, of South Business Dr., Sheboygan, WI, passed away peacefully at Sharon S. Richardson Hospice on Sunday evening, April 18, 2021, after a very courageous battle with blood cancer. Her daughter and son-in-law were at her side.
Lori was born in Eagle Bend, MN on December 30, 1941 to James Howard and Florence (Edburg) Strahl. She moved to Sheboygan in 1951 and attended public school, graduating in the last class of Central High School in 1960. On September 28, 1961 she married her high school sweetheart, Wayne Gilbertson, at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church. They moved to Coronado, CA while Wayne served in the US Navy.
After moving back to Sheboygan in 1965, Lori was a stay-at-home mom until 1971. She went back into the workforce when her children started school. Initially working for the school system, and then for Heritage Insurance, she retired in 2001 as the director of Human Resources after going through the many mergers and acquisitions in water filtration companies, from Ametek, to Vivendi, to US Filter, and finally Pentair.
Lori and Wayne loved to travel. They took many trips to the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Central America, and Europe. They also loved family more than anything and enjoyed those family times at their home and at their cottage.
After her husband’s death in 2008, Lori remained very active in the community as a board member of Partners, Inc., serving on the local AARP board, and volunteering her HR skills at Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice, where Wayne had spent his last days. She also enjoyed spending time with her Widow/Widowers group, her Sherlock Holmes Club, and her Class Act group.
Lori was an avid cook. She enjoyed watching food channels, collecting recipes and reading cookbooks. Most of all she loved all things family. She loved watching her grandchildren participate in school events and was their biggest fan. She loved who they loved, and was a grandma to their friends.
Lori is survived by her daughter Katie Anderson (Keith), her grandchildren Kaitlin Saige Joosse (Levi), McKena Wayne Ramos (Jordan Saunders), Tyler Gilbertson, Parker Anderson, Ashley Anderson (Brad Krueger) and Sandra Kenly, her sister Virginia Griego, her brother Glen Strahl, many loved nieces and nephews from both her and her husband’s family and special friends. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and in 2020 by her son John Gilbertson and her sister Karen Malone.
The family would like to thank Dr. Bettag and the staff at Matthews Oncology and St. Nicholas Hospital for their extra special care while she battled MDS. They would also like to thank the kind, caring staff of Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice for treating her and her family so very well in her last few days.
According to Lori’s wishes there will be no visitation nor service. Reinbold-Novak Funeral Home is handling the cremation. A celebration of Lori’s life and the wonderful reunion of her and Wayne in heaven will take place in the fall of 2021. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in her name to be donated to endeavors that she supported.
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