Lorna Kay Kortum

She left behind “footprints on the sands of time” molded by love, music, and resiliency. Lorna was three years shy of 100 years old, a goal her mother achieved in 2001.

Born in Big Timber, Montana on November 19, 1927 to Ralph and Katherine (Kerns) Lovelace, Lorna and her little sister Margie Jo were raised by a rancher father and school teacher mother near Colstrip, Montana. Lorna loved animals. Much to her mother’s dismay, she would cuddle up and sleep with little chicks in bed. Similar to little Laura in “Little House on the Prairie” Lorna had many ranch chores, no indoor plumbing, a coal stove, and Saturday night baths in a big steel basin tub. As an adventurous child she roamed the sandstone-dotted prairie picking wildflowers and creating imaginative stories to amuse herself. After being homeschooled by her mother, Lorna attended public schools in Rosebud County, Montana. She excelled at reading and was often selected by the teacher to read to the class. Reading from the book series of adventures The X-Bar-X Boys, she spurred the interest of fellow classmates with her expressive narration. In June 1946 she graduated from Hardin High School soon to attend Montana State University, in Bozeman and lived at Hamilton Hall, a women’s dormitory. As a freshman she blossomed into a popular young woman often going on many dates due to her attractive personality and sparkling brown eyes. It was here that she met her future husband, Harold Kortum, a handsome young man newly discharged from the Merchant Marines. She was immediately attracted by his intellect, maturity, and seafaring adventures. On December 23, 1947 they were married at her parents’ ranch with a picturesque backdrop of ponderosa pines and sandstone buttes. It was also memorable that day for the warm chinook winds that melted the snow.

Since Harold had connections with the Pacific Northwest, they first settled in the former city of Vanport, Oregon, which infamously was flooded into oblivion on May 30, 1948. As homeless inhabitants with only a few possessions they returned to Bozeman and attended Montana State University once again, with Harold graduating in 1951. Job opportunities beckoned them to Portland, Oregon where their three children were born. Lorna enjoyed being a mother and played along with her kids just like a playmate. Immersing herself into local church activities and community organizations, she served as a Cub Scout Den mother to her two boys. A Tiger Mom before it was coined, she did not tolerate any type of bullying and other injustices thrown at her children.

In 1966, the Kortum family moved to Lake Forest Park, Seattle, where she proudly attended her children’s school sporting events, play productions, and musical concerts. With a curiosity to hone her talents and sharpen her knowledge Lorna began taking classes at local community colleges. This eventually led to her attending the University of Washington where she earned her baccalaureate degree in 1970. At that time, she was over 40-years old but matched her fellow classmates in dress, intellect, and attitude. With newly found self-confidence Lorna entered the job market in the early 1970s and was employed with Burke Marketing Research in downtown Seattle. Burke had prestigious clients such as Procter & Gamble and Lorna queried selected surveyors on the effectiveness of their product placement in television commercials. As a supervisor she oversaw training when conducting important research jobs in the field and at the office.

In 1978, the Kortums moved to Vantage, Washington when Harold was employed with Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, as a technical supervisor for the Physical Plant. With her children grown and fulfilling dreams and careers, Lorna entered the job market once again in 1979 with the Washington State Career Change Program in Yakima, Washington. She assisted unemployed individuals in acquiring new career objectives and job-seeking skills infusing them with a shot of motivation and self-assurance to find work. Lorna was immensely dedicated and once drove in a blinding snowstorm from her Vantage home to the Yakima office unknowing that the training courses were cancelled. This was years before cell phone service.

Lorna had a gift music. As a four-year old she trotted over to the family piano and plucked out the song My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean playing only by ear. She went on to entertain family and friends and robustly improvised various tunes such as The Beer Barrel Polka and The Wreck of Old 97--two of her favorites. As a young woman working at the popular Gallatin Inn in Bozeman, Lorna loved to play the Inn’s piano in her spare time. Boy was she surprised when Presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey vacationing nearby, strolled in. A talented singer he was immediately drawn to the bright melody resonating in the room.

Throughout her lifetime, Lorna continued tickling the ivories mostly by ear and memory. She cherished playing hymns for her community church in Desert Aire, Washington where she and Harold attended for several years. When not performing on the piano, she pumped up the volume at her home in Vantage, and unfortunately blew out the woofers in her stereo speakers. The LP that was most likely the culprit was Santiago! – Modern Chilean Folk Music first recorded in 1957. Lorna had an eclectic taste in music which ranged from Folk, Country Western, Broadway, and Pop, finally progressing to the soothing inspirational music of Anne Murray.

Although a closeted introvert, Lorna liked to entertain at her home. Frequently, nephews and nieces would meet at the Vantage home, a halfway point for Seattle and Spokane. The summers were filled with air mattresses strewn upon the lawn and a picnic table with plenty of food for everyone to partake. She was highly spirited and imbibed in a few drinks of her favorite wine sometimes grabbing a guest for an impromptu dance!

Taking long hikes well into her 80s, Lorna enjoyed exploring the shrub-steppe trails near her Vantage home. She was a lover of nature and wildlife and rejoiced in spotting eagles that soared above the basalt cliffs overlooking Lake Wanapum. Never without a cat, there were many she cared for throughout her adult years naming them with monikers such as Wilbur, Joey, Hillary, Bonnie, Megan, Regan, Jewel, and Zach. While living the last eight years of her life at Hearthstone Senior Living in Ellensburg, Lorna and Lewis, her pinto cat, were often seen walking together down the corridors making new friends along the way.

Lorna’s passing is the last of that family generation. The end of an era of hard working dreamers and achievers who never looked back and tenaciously overcame obstacles that rolled in their path. As her daughter, she will be my forever best friend as long as I live! I am eternally grateful for her love, motherly advice, and self-deprecating sense of humor.

Lorna is survived by her children Scott (Charlotte) Kortum, Eric (Sharon) Kortum, Krista Kortum, grand-daughter Katie Kortum, and many dear nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Harold, and her sister Margie Jo Dunbar.